During my time in China, I\u2019ve tried to learn about Chinese culture, but I was a little nervous about visiting them and knowing how to act. As it turns out, there was no need to be worried, Tom\u2019s family welcomed us with open arms, homemade jiu and amazing Chinese dishes!<\/p>\n
![\"Panoramic](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ce06cf14-b61e-4284-bdfc-bffa97f03a20_Panoramic20View20of20Chenzhou.jpg\")
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Tom and his family are from Chenzhou \u90f4\u5dde<\/a> (chen zh\u014du), a city in the province of Hunan. Chenzhou is known for mining, and many of Tom\u2019s family\u2019s friends, including Tom\u2019s father, worked for the mining company for many years. It is also known locally as the \u2018backyard of Hong Kong\u2019, due to its many visitors from Hong Kong during the summer months.<\/p>\n The character \u90f4 combines the pictographic \u6797, meaning forest, and \u961dmeaning city. \u5dde is the character used to determine \u2018state\u2019, such as \u5e7f\u5dde and \u676d\u5dde.<\/p>\n Probably one of the best things about visiting a Chinese family, is getting to try the local food and homegrown fruits and vegetables. On our first evening with Tom\u2019s family, we sat together with several generations of family, including Tom\u2019s grandparents and young cousins. One of the dishes that they wanted us to eat a lot of was food local to the area was tofu stuffed with rice and meat \u917f\u8c46\u8150<\/a> (ni\u00e0ng d\u00f2u fu). My other half impressed Tom\u2019s family with the quantity of \u8fa3\u6912<\/a> (l\u00e0 ji\u0101o) that he was able to consume with his stuffed tofu! Chilli peppers were added to every dish, resulting in tears and runny noses! Tom told us that one of the dishes \u6885\u83dc\u6263\u8089<\/a> (m\u00e9i c\u00e0i k\u00f2u r\u00f2u), a fatty meat a little bit like belly pork, is a dish traditionally only eaten at Chinese New Year. In the past, when meat was lacking, the meat would be a treat for the family.<\/p>\n After our meal, we were offered homegrown tangerines \u6a58\u5b50<\/a> (j\u00fa zi) and a crispy snack that was a perfect accompaniment to the homemade \u2018jiu\u2019 made from waxberries, named \u6768\u6885\u9152 <\/a>(y\u00e1ng m\u00e9i ji\u01d4).<\/p>\n One of my favourite dishes was a breakfast that Tom referred to as \u2018Chenzhou popcorn\u2019, but its Chinese name is \u7092\u7c73<\/a> (ch\u01ceo m\u01d0). We ate popcorn in a soup made from tea topped with peanuts (and chilli if you wanted). It was like a more delicious and savoury version of Rice Krispies! \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n Drinking homemade alcohol with a family is a great honour, and most families drink their own alcohol during Chinese New Year, as shop bought wine isn\u2019t as special. Although many foreigners aren\u2019t used to drinking Chinese wine such as \u767d\u9152<\/a> (b\u00e1i ji\u01d4), it\u2019s customary to cheers with different members of the family, and maybe even \u5e72\u676f<\/a> (g\u0101n b\u0113i)! Apparently, Tom\u2019s grandfather had brewed around 300 jars of his \u2018jiu\u2019, and I suspect we drank quite a large proportion of that on the first evening! We also tried another homemade spirit made from rice, known as \u7c73\u9152 (m\u01d0 ji\u01d4), which was sweet and extremely easy to drink.<\/p>\n One of my favourite things about the trip was learning more about Chinese traditions and culture. Even in my 5 years of being in China, some of the traditions I learned about were completely new to me, and because I was experiencing them first hand, made them even more special for me.<\/p>\n During Chinese New Year, it\u2019s customary for a child to return to their hometown, which is why a city even as large as Shenzhen becomes a ghost town. Although this has its plus points, no pushing on the metro or noisy neighbours, there are few traditions in the city. Although there were some fireworks in Shenzhen, firecrackers \u97ad\u70ae<\/a> (bi\u0101n p\u00e0o) were more common in Chenzhou. Inside the crackers (known as \u5f00\u95e8\u70ae<\/a> (k\u0101i m\u00e9n p\u00e0o)) in Hunan are red pieces of paper to \u63a5\u5e74<\/a> (ji\u0113 ni\u00e1n), that cover the streets and hallways and cannot be swept up until the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year. The idea is that the dirty and rubbish produced during the holidays should be kept for luck or a \u2018goldmine\u2019 \u805a\u5b9d<\/a> (j\u00f9 b\u01ceo) for the future. The tradition in Hunan is to clean the home on the 28th day of the last month of the lunar calendar, \u4e8c\u5341\u516b<\/a> (\u00e8r sh\u00ed b\u0101) and is known as \u6d17\u908b\u9062<\/a> (x\u01d0 l\u0101 ta). The same goes for washing hair and cutting hair. Tom\u2019s female cousins were desperate to wash their hair by the 3rd day!<\/p>\n Traditionally, the first three days of Chinese New Year should be spent with the family (we were allowed to sneak in and masquerade as family members \ud83d\ude42 ). After the three days after over, it\u2019s time to meet up with friends and part-ay! This is a great chance to meet, greet and learn even more about the local area, traditions and Chinese culture. From my experience, and this is not just from my time in Chenzhou, if you show interest in Chinese culture, people are usually very enthusiastic to tell you as much as you want to know! Of course, with this comes tea! Tom\u2019s father was extremely proud of his \u666e\u6d31\u8336<\/a> (p\u01d4 \u011br ch\u00e1)\u00a0pu\u2019er tea, and was happy to share it, and the culture of tea<\/a> with us. On our second day, we spent time with Tom\u2019s friends. They had all grown up together and had known each other since primary school. They too answered lots of our questions about their own lives in China, their jobs and also told some embarrassing stories.<\/p>\n This is probably the most important reason why you should spend time with a Chinese family. Even if your spoken Chinese is basic, your Chinese family will do their best to communicate with you, as you will do with them. There\u2019s no need to be embarrassed! Many Chinese people are often pleased when foreigners speak even a little bit of Chinese and will be happy simply if you try your best.<\/p>\n If you happen to be in a smaller city where there is little to no English this is a great time to make use of our OCR tool in the Written Chinese dictionary app for iOS<\/a>. If you haven\u2019t come across the tool before, it scans Chinese characters and translates them on instantly. It\u2019s perfect for menus and a great tool to have if you\u2019re learning to read Chinese. I myself had some fun in our hotel sussing out the \u2018room service\u2019 menu \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n This combines reasons 3, 4 and 5 because you\u2019re definitely going to have to practice your Chinese, you\u2019ll be with other people and you\u2019ll probably learn something cultural along the way. One of the most popular games to play in Chinese culture is Mahjong \u9ebb\u5c06<\/a> (m\u00e1 ji\u00e0ng). The Mahjong pieces look like dominoes in appearance but have a range of images that are similar to a pack of cards.Once you\u2019ve watched a few rounds you\u2019ll probably get the hang of it and be able to join in. Cards games might also be played before or after dinner. When we spent the day with Tom\u2019s friends, we even indulged in Chinese drinking games, minus the drink! They often consist of a scenario where the loser has to perform some kind of dare. If you can\u2019t think of your own dare, there\u2019s even an app for that!<\/p>\n I hope that my story might inspire you to spend some time with a Chinese family if you have the opportunity to. If you have any stories of your own, questions or any comments about my time in Chenzhou, please leave them in the comment section below!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"1. Trying Local Chinese Food<\/h1>\n
![\"fe987eaa-06e0-458f-8398-4e385ad6ad1f_Popcorn20for20Breakfast\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/fe987eaa-06e0-458f-8398-4e385ad6ad1f_Popcorn20for20Breakfast-e1455683672297.jpg?resize=450%2C600&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n2. Try Some Homemade \u2018wine\u2019<\/h1>\n
3. Learn Local Traditions and Culture<\/h1>\n
![\"Sweeping](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/40c7f71a-9d04-43c9-8ba4-97f1ddc985a3_Sweeping20the20Streets20after20Chinese20New20Year.jpg?w=900&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n4. Meeting Family Members, Friends and Locals<\/h1>\n
5. Practice your Chinese!<\/h1>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/OCR-tool.png?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n6. Play some Chinese Games<\/h1>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n