Stewart Lee Beck's Blog, page 6
January 22, 2015
“There’s a limit to what money can do, but the power of k...
- Zhu Di (Yongle Emperor)
“The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows wh...
- George Carlin
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a...
- Confucius
January 21, 2015
Appreciating and Complimenting Female Beauty
Have one of these timeless expressions ready for when you need it!
Beauty is subjective; we all get that. And while there are plenty of online posts about the latest pretty girl expressions, such as…
白富美 bái fùměi
miss perfect (lit. fair rich beautiful)
萌妹 méng mèi
a cutie pie (lit. adorable younger sister)
女神 nǚshén
a goddess who’s unattainable
…we wouldn’t want your vocabulary limited to just those “here today, gone tomorrow” fad expressions!
Let’s review 5 timeless expressions that show others...
January 11, 2015
Zheng He: The Floating CEO
Imagine the supreme challenge of motivating 27,400 people in an enormous floating corporation, waves buffeting your 240 separate offices with limited channels of communication, managing the uncertainty of landing in more than 30 countries, ports often lacking the critical supplies you desperately require, while trying to contain insubordinate staff and remaining vigilant against surprise takeover attempts.
And that was just the first journey. Zheng He, the legendary eunuch admiral of China’s M...
December 17, 2014
Christmas in China = A Valentine’s Day + Halloween + New Year’s Celebration
For Christians in China, the Christmas holiday is a family-oriented commemoration of the birth of Jesus, not unlike many other places. The majority of Chinese young adults, however, celebrate Christmas in China as a fun evening out with friends and find the legend of the jolly white-bearded man flying around delivering toys to kids somewhat incomprehensible.
“The first image I had of Santa Claus is of him on a roof near a chimney carrying a big bag. To me he looked like a thief. I was wonderi...
December 10, 2014
Red Packets – Understanding When & How Much To Give
Most people are aware of the tradition of giving red packets (红包 hóngbāo) in Chinese culture as gestures of appreciation during big life events. Venture beyond the surface level, however, and you quickly discover that effective gifting requires an understanding of public relations, sociology, psychology, finance & accounting, creative writing and even poetry.
Red Packets in Action
There’s nothing mysterious about the red packet itself: a decorated red envelope with cash notes inside. You’ll he...
December 3, 2014
How To Reject A Job Offer With Style
How did Ji Kang, one of the Seven Bamboo Sages, respond when Jin Dynasty officials made him an offer he couldn’t refuse?
There’s nothing more dangerous for a Chinese intellectual than being an out-of-the-closet Taoist when a powerfully Confucian government takes over. That’s the situation in which Ji Kang and his fellow refugee scholars, attempting to evade a stifling life of administrative conformity and its never ending obligations, found themselves during the Three Kingdoms period of 3rd c...
November 20, 2014
7 China Decades, 7 Blockbuster Comedies: What each film reveals about its era, and today
The term “blockbuster” is a bit of a misnomer. Filmmakers setting out to make some deep statement on life or gunning for massive box office returns often meet with disaster. As William Goldman famously professed, in Hollywood “nobody knows anything.”
Many more films are successful by accident. Their writers tap into the powerful unconscious forces of their time, and romanced by a willing muse, capture the mood (the hopes and the fears) of their time. We’ll leave it to your judgment to consider...
November 11, 2014
“The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and work ...
- Leonardo da Vinci
