Annie Huang

So the Chinese New Year (of Rabbit) is finally here. And if you haven’t booked yourself a holiday package in Thailand (or have any other escape plan) by now, don’t despair. We’ve compiled a list of fun and family-friendly things to do to celebrate the Chinese New Year, in style.

Cultural

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Chinese New Year 农历新年 (also known as Spring Festival 春节) is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It starts with the new moon on the first day of the new year (in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar) and ends on the full moon 15 days later.

Chinese families give their homes a thorough cleaning during the days leading up to the new year. This is believed to get rid of the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck. Buying new clothes, shoes, and getting a hair-cut also symbolize a fresh start.

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Olivia Lee, a nutritionist and beijingkids columnist, has recently updated her website and posted a few new articles on nutrition. We have picked a couple of her articles which we think would be of interest to a lot of parents.

1. Brussels Sprouts: These sprouts have a bad rep. According to Olivia, overcooking them brings out a special bitterness and sulfurous compound. In addition, it actually destroys most of the anti-cancer compounds called sulforaphane in the sprout. So Olivia proposes quick cooking with even layers of the sprout with a recipe for a Warm Orange-Ginger Brussels Sprout Slaw.

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As most of you have already learned, Beijing Color Studio (BCS) has had to close its doors earlier this year.  The staff of BCS has moved to other teaching and artwork projects around the city. Mike the studio cat, however, will stay with the studio.

If you are looking for art programs for kids still in the 798 art district, Karen Patterson, the founder of BCS, highly recommends the Thread Gallery's exclusive art program for kids, which Von (one of the instructors previously worked for BCS) will provide instruction for some of their classes.

The main office of Thread Gallery is located inside the 798 art district, but its kids’ art studio is located a 10 minute-walk away, in the Yinfeng Jiayuan Residential compound. Note that if you mention that `Karen from Beijing Color Studio' introduced you, you will receive a 10% discount off any tuition and/or art programs.

Don't know what to do this weekend?

Check out our new weekly Top Picks newsletter for some suggestions!

Every Wednesday, beijingkids scours the city for events for you and your family and presents them in this newsletter, along with links to family-related news and information from our website and around the web.

For this week, January 27-30, go to “Events" then "Top Picks," or simply click here to read the newsletter online.

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On January 26, the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) will hold a live performance of ancient Chinese musical instruments, including such rare instruments as bone flutes, gu pai pipes, 24-piece bells, stone chimes, and guqins. Tunes from famous Chinese classic texts such as The Book of Songs (诗经) as well as other compositions will be played during the performance.

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Don't know what to do this weekend?

Check out our newly relaunched weekly Top Picks newsletter for some suggestions!

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There is now an increasing demand for Filipina maids due to growing dissatisfaction with Chinese ayis, and agencies which offer domestic services are making handsome profits from this trend, according to China Daily.

For example, VeryMaids Co, a recruiting agency in Beijing, recently raised its fees from RMB 10,000 to 15,000 for the hiring of Filipina maids. And it has plans to raise it further to RMB 20,000 by the year-end. 

Despite its growing popularity, hiring a Filipina maid in China doesn’t come cheap, nor is it legal (strictly speaking). It costs RMB 25,000 to 30,000 to initiate the process, and a Filipina helper’s salary is around USD 500 per month. As far as its legality is concerned, the domestic labor market is still closed to foreign maids, so recruiters have to come up with fictitious companies which will then hire the Filipina maids as their “employees”.

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“2 of Us”, a photography series by the artist Fan Shisan, showcases the effects of one-child policy on the identity of the young people born after 1980 in China. Shisan juxtaposes young people with their alter egos using the technique of double exposures, highlighting their intense longing for a sibling or siblings. On the other hand, the apparent inability to communicate between the young people and their alter egos in the photos underlines a sense of isolation and loneliness of his subjects.

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