Chinese Daily Photos, 2011 to 2019!
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Re: Chinese Daily Photos, Videos & News of 2013!!!
@Popeye, hmm traditionally it has more to do with being the Chinese New Year, based on the lunar calendar. As to why it's also called spring festival... I have no idea, maybe spring is just around the corner? xD
Better work on expanding the capacity of your heart and soul!Eeny, meeny, miny, mo
Which one of you pretty ladies
Will capture Equation's heart and soul!
@Popeye, hmm traditionally it has more to do with being the Chinese New Year, based on the lunar calendar. As to why it's also called spring festival... I have no idea, maybe spring is just around the corner? xD
SteelBird
Colonel
Re: Chinese Daily Photos, Videos & News of 2013!!!
I believe the first day of the lunar new year is considered the first day of Spring that why it is called Spring Festival. You might feel strange; it is exactly in winter, so cold, extremely cold, Spring is still far away. (below is just my personal opinion): You might need to reverse the clock back to the ancient time when human first celebrate Spring Festival. I believe at that time Spring Festival was celebrated right on the first day of Spring (first day of Spring is still very cold, right?). However, the lunar calendar system doesn't move consistently with the nature, and after thousands of years the Spring Festival become in the middle of Winter.
I believe the first day of the lunar new year is considered the first day of Spring that why it is called Spring Festival. You might feel strange; it is exactly in winter, so cold, extremely cold, Spring is still far away. (below is just my personal opinion): You might need to reverse the clock back to the ancient time when human first celebrate Spring Festival. I believe at that time Spring Festival was celebrated right on the first day of Spring (first day of Spring is still very cold, right?). However, the lunar calendar system doesn't move consistently with the nature, and after thousands of years the Spring Festival become in the middle of Winter.
superdog
Junior Member
Re: Chinese Daily Photos, Videos & News of 2013!!!
To summarize the situation, there are two components in the Chinese lunisolar calendar: one is the 24 solar terms/"JieQi" which are determined by solar cycles and tells people the change of seasons, the other is the months and days determined by lunar cycles - the change in moon phases (in Chinese "yue" 月 means both month and moon). The problem is that lunar cycles are not completely in sync with solar cycles, so the 24 solar terms/JieQi are not associated with a fixed date in a year in the Chinese calendar, they simply jump around. LiChun is always close to the end/beginning of the Chinese year, but a Chinese year could be 354 days or 384 days long (leap year with 13 months), which means that in some years there will be two LiChun and in some years there will be none! As time passes, the meaning of the spring festival becomes less agricultural and more social-cultural, as a result more and more people find it annoying to celebrate spring festival sometimes twice a year and sometimes not at all during a year, it is easier (lazier?) to celebrate it together with the Chinese new year. This is why the spring festival doesn't occur at the same time when spring actually starts.
By the way, the Chinese lunisolar calendar doesn't drift after thousands of years. It only differs from the Gregorian calendar because it uses leap month instead of leap day. Leap month will always be added periodically to keep it in sync with the tropical year, so the maximum "error" between season and dates in the Chinese calendar will not be more than 30 days.
Actually the original spring festival in China was not celebrated at the beginning of the Chinese year, it was celebrated at the solar term/"JieQi" (节气) of "LiChun" (立春). LiChun in Chinese means the establishment of spring, and it is defined by when the sun reaches a celestial longitude of 315 degrees. Technically speaking this is the time that spring actually starts, it is always in sync with actual seasonal change because season itself is defined by the angle of the sun relative to earth's rotation.
To summarize the situation, there are two components in the Chinese lunisolar calendar: one is the 24 solar terms/"JieQi" which are determined by solar cycles and tells people the change of seasons, the other is the months and days determined by lunar cycles - the change in moon phases (in Chinese "yue" 月 means both month and moon). The problem is that lunar cycles are not completely in sync with solar cycles, so the 24 solar terms/JieQi are not associated with a fixed date in a year in the Chinese calendar, they simply jump around. LiChun is always close to the end/beginning of the Chinese year, but a Chinese year could be 354 days or 384 days long (leap year with 13 months), which means that in some years there will be two LiChun and in some years there will be none! As time passes, the meaning of the spring festival becomes less agricultural and more social-cultural, as a result more and more people find it annoying to celebrate spring festival sometimes twice a year and sometimes not at all during a year, it is easier (lazier?) to celebrate it together with the Chinese new year. This is why the spring festival doesn't occur at the same time when spring actually starts.
By the way, the Chinese lunisolar calendar doesn't drift after thousands of years. It only differs from the Gregorian calendar because it uses leap month instead of leap day. Leap month will always be added periodically to keep it in sync with the tropical year, so the maximum "error" between season and dates in the Chinese calendar will not be more than 30 days.
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Re: Chinese Daily Photos, Videos & News of 2013!!!
Thanks for the information gentlemen!
Must be cold in this school. Everyone has a coat.
...gotta go! I'll be back
Thanks for the information gentlemen!
Must be cold in this school. Everyone has a coat.
...gotta go! I'll be back
Re: Chinese Daily Photos, Videos & News of 2013!!!
I'm back.. hadda run a quick errand..
I'm back.. hadda run a quick errand..
Miragedriver
Brigadier
Re: Chinese Daily Photos, Videos & News of 2013!!!
Chinese traffic police lead a flashmob in the city of Chongqing recently, dancing with scores of young people to promote road safety:
[video]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10521465/Chinese-police-conduct-bizarre-road-safety-flashmob.html[/video]
Chinese traffic police lead a flashmob in the city of Chongqing recently, dancing with scores of young people to promote road safety:
[video]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10521465/Chinese-police-conduct-bizarre-road-safety-flashmob.html[/video]
Equation
Lieutenant General
Re: Chinese Daily Photos, Videos & News of 2013!!!
This will work only for awhile and than back to the old bad habits again.
The best way in my opinion is to teach the younger generation to be more patient and careful on the road when they're taking their driver's education class. Highways and roads are for NOT 'Fast and Furious' drivers. Especially among truck drivers and 18 wheelers are one of the worse violators due to their hectic work.
This will work only for awhile and than back to the old bad habits again.
The best way in my opinion is to teach the younger generation to be more patient and careful on the road when they're taking their driver's education class. Highways and roads are for NOT 'Fast and Furious' drivers. Especially among truck drivers and 18 wheelers are one of the worse violators due to their hectic work.Re: Chinese Daily Photos, Videos & News of 2013!!!
the BEST remedy would be to adopt better safety regulations and impose the rule of law, which china lacks on its roads as well as in its civil society. the regulations themselves are not adequate and the ones that exist are not enforced because there are no accountability mechanisms, no impartial courts.
the same could be said of all the safety standard issues and most abuses of power in china.
This will work only for awhile and than back to the old bad habits again.
the BEST remedy would be to adopt better safety regulations and impose the rule of law, which china lacks on its roads as well as in its civil society. the regulations themselves are not adequate and the ones that exist are not enforced because there are no accountability mechanisms, no impartial courts.
the same could be said of all the safety standard issues and most abuses of power in china.
Equation
Lieutenant General
Re: Chinese Daily Photos, Videos & News of 2013!!!
I agreed, but IMO regulations don't mean squat if people don't follow them. People are in such a rush these days that they are willing to ignore the signs. The highways that are well regulated and impose are the toll roads because there's money to made in it.
I agreed, but IMO regulations don't mean squat if people don't follow them. People are in such a rush these days that they are willing to ignore the signs. The highways that are well regulated and impose are the toll roads because there's money to made in it.
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