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Xiezhi (獬豸pinyin:xiè zhì)
[audio:xie4.mp3,zhi4.mp3]

A fabulous beast called [tag]Xiezhi [/tag]([tag]獬豸[/tag] pinyin:xiè zhì), by the Chinese, is described as being somewhat like a unicorn and a dragon, although with a singular horn and cleft-foot like a goat, which has the ability to discriminate between right and wrong and destroys the wicked by biting or goring them. It is believed to live in the wilds and is said to be fire-eating even to its own destruction. Since it also looks like a goat, it is also called [tag]Shenyang[/tag] (神羊 pinyin:shén yáng).

This fabulous creature stood for justice and in the work on legal cases of the Tang (唐 pinyin:táng) dynasty, entitled, T’ang-yin pi-shih, it is recorded and described as a [tag]single-horned goat[/tag], that appears whenever there was a wrongly accused person who had been misjudged by the judicial system. In a much earlier work, by Wangchong (王充 pinyin:wáng chōng), entitled Lunheng (論衡 pinyin:lún héng), it is described also a a goat with a single horn, who is able to judge as to the innocent and guilty, and bites and gores the guilty. During both the Ming (明 pinyin:míng) and Qing (清pinyin:qīng) dynasties, it was used as an insignia for civil officials, and a badge of Didu (提督 pinyin:dī dū) or circuit intendant.

In addition it was the [tag]emblem[/tag] for governmental censors. The Xiezhi was the symbol of an upright and honest person, as well as a protector of the court in determining justice. It is a most [tag]auspicious symbol [/tag]that has been both carved, sculpt and painted to decorate halls and courtrooms. This animal is revered and most endeared that there is a dance created, which is similar to the lion dance performed mostly in the South and called in Cantonese as Hai-zai.

This [tag]justice animal[/tag], is also used as a [tag]roof ornament[/tag] and placed ont he ridge of the eaves, usually behind the Suanni (狻猊 pinyin:suān ní) and before the Douniu (鬥牛 pinyin:dòu niú) pottery roof figures.

-By William C. Hu and David Lei

Ponddy Reader Lessons:
HSK Level 1: 早上好 – Good Morning
HSK Level 3: 接机 – Picking up someone at the airport
HSK Level 4: 动物园一日游 – A day in the Zoo

Tan (貪 pinyin:tān)
[audio:tan1.mp3]

In ancient times, on the walls of the [tag]Yamen[/tag] (衙門 pinyin:yá mén) or [tag]Chinese courthouses[/tag], there is a painting of a fabulous beast. This mythical beast has a head resembling a dragon, scaled body like a unicorn, hoofed feet like an ox and a long tail like that of a donkey. It bears no resemblance to any other specific animal, but a composite of several. The beast is usually depicted with his fore feet placed guardedly on eight different precious objects [tag]babao[/tag] (八宝 pinyin:bā bǎo), namely a large flaming pearl, lozenge, stone chime, pair of rhinoceros horns, coin, mirror, book and leaf. On the upper left hand corner of the picture is a large red sphere, representing a blazing sun. Although this beast had all these precious objects, he was unsatisfied and wanted to have the glowing sun as his possession, which led to his demise by drowning while attempting to get hold of its reflection in the water.

Although this depiction had been known earlier, it was not standardized until the Zhou (周 pinyin:zhōu) dynasty, 1122-221 B.C. and named formally as [tag]Tan[/tag] (貪 pinyin:tān), or avaricious. In 221 B.C. when [tag]Qinshihuangdi[/tag] (秦史皇帝 pinyin:qín shǐ huáng dì) unified the country and declared himself the first Emperor of a unified Empire, In order to govern the Empire with a centralized rule and laws, there was created a bureaucratic organization, of which were many Yamen or courthouses operating on various levels of governmental strata. In creating and dispersing the large number of magistrates and officials to various locales, it was ordered that on the wall behind each judicial bench, there was to have a large painting of which was called Tan, or ‘[tag]Avaricious[/tag]’.

Like the Wangtienhou or Admonished Animal which is a symbol of The Emperor, the Tan was a reminder and warning against avariciousness for the officials and magistrates. These were considered [tag]auspicious beasts[/tag] which admonishes of being aware of propriety and a good moral code of conduct.

– By William C. Hu and David Lei

Ponddy Reader Lessons:
HSK Level 1: 早上好 – Good Morning
HSK Level 3: 接机 – Picking up someone at the airport
HSK Level 4: 动物园一日游 – A day in the Zoo

 
Take BART to the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco!

Exit at the Montgomery or Powell Street Stations. The parade starts on Market, goes up Geary, down Post and ends on Kearny at Columbus. To plan your trip, visit www.bart.gov.

To avoid long ticket lines, buy a round trip ticket for the parade in advance at any BART station (tickets have no time limit). This is particularly helpful for families or groups traveling together — each person must have their own ticket and will skip long lines at the ticket machines by purchasing them in advance. To calculate your round trip fare ahead of time, visit www.bart.gov/tickets/calculator/fareCalculator.asp.

Discount BART tickets for seniors and children!
Visit BART Ticket Types for information about discount tickets.

To purchase your discount tickets in advance:
Purchase online at www.bart.gov/tickets/sales/onlineOrdering.asp or at one of the locations listed at www.bart.gov/tickets/sales/retailSales.asp. Enter your zip code to find the location closest to you to purchase tickets, and make sure to call first to make sure that they have the tickets you need available.

Parking At BART Stations
For a list of BART stations with parking, visit www.bart.gov/guide/parking/overview.asp and find the station closest to you.

Parade Route
 

Parking Garages

Union Square

• Ellis-O’Farrell Garage
  123 O’Farrell St.
  415-986-4800

• Union Square Garage
  333 Post/Geary
  415-621-6751

• Sutter-Stockton
  330 Stockton/Sutter
  415-982-7275

• Fifth & Mission Garage
  833 Mission/5th St.
  41582-8522

• Four-Fifty Sutter Garage
  450 Sutter Street
  415-421-4444

Chinatown

• Portsmouth Square Garage
  733 Kearny/Clay
  415-982-6353

• Savoy Garage
  170 Columbus Avenue
  415-421-6057

• St. Mary’s Square Garage
  433 Kearny Street, SF
  415-956-8106

• Vallejo Street Garage
  Vallejo At Powell Street

Moscone Center/Yerba Buena Gardens

• Moscone Center Garage
  255 3rd St./Howard St.
  415-777-2782

• Museum Parc
  Third & Folsom St.
  415-543-4533

Embarcadero

• Embarcadero Center Garages
  415-398-1878

Public Transportation

AC Transit: Serves Berkeley, Oakland and other East Bay communities. In SF, buses depart from the Transbay Terminal and Financial District. (510) 839-2882.

BART: Links San Francisco with the East Bay and Daly City. In SF, trains run underground along Market Street. Stops at Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, Civic Center. (415) 992-2278.

CalTrain: Rail service to the Peninsula, San Jose. In SF, trains depart from the San Francisco Cal-Train Station. 4th St./Townsend (800) 660-4287.

Golden Gate Transit: Serves Marin County, parts of Sonoma. In SF, buses stop on Lombard St., Van Ness Ave., Geary Blvd., Financial District, Transbay Terminal. (415) 923-2000.

SamTrans: Serves San Mateo County including the San Francisco International Airport, Palo Alto, Daly City. In SF, buses stop in Financial District, Transbay Terminal. (800) 660-4287.

Muni: For complete schedule information call (415) 673-MUNI.

In 1847 San Francisco was a sleepy little village known as Yerba Buena with a population of 459. With the discovery of gold and the ensuing California Gold Rush, by 1849, over 50,000 people had come to San Francisco to seek their fortune or just a better way of life. Among those were many Chinese, who had come to work in the gold mines and on the railroad. By the 1860’s, the Chinese were eager to share their culture with those who were unfamiliar with it. They chose to showcase their culture by using a favorite American tradition – the Parade. Nothing like it had ever been done in their native China. They invited a variety of other groups from the city to participate, and they marched down what today are Grant Avenue and Kearny Street carrying colorful flags, banners, lanterns, and drums and firecrackers to drive away evil spirits.

Since 1958, the Parade has been under the direction of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. At that time, it was moved from the afternoon to the evening so as not to compete with the very popular Miss Chinatown U.S.A. contest. The Parade remained a local community activity along Grant Avenue until the mid 1970’s, when the fire department and ever growing crowds dictated that the Parade route be moved to wider streets.

When KTVU, Channel 2, started televising the Parade in 1987, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce realized that although the Parade would still represent the community,its growth would demand a commitment to higher quality and corporate sponsorship involvement. The Chinese New Year celebration was expanded to a two week Festival including a Flower Market Fair and Community Fair.

Today, the San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is the largest celebration of its kind in the world, attracting over three million spectators and television viewers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Asia with the help of both KTVU/Fox 2 and KTSF, Channel 26 (Chinese broadcast).

The parade still welcomes a variety of other groups to join in the march, and still hopes to educate, enrich and entertain its audience with the colorful pageantry of Chinese culture and tradition. In order to retain the integrity of the Parade, participants are asked to tie their float or specialty unit to a Chinese cultural theme. We are honored and delighted to have representatives from other Asian cultures participating in this year’s festivities.

[tags]chinese new year, chinatown, chinatown parade, chinese parade, chinese new year parade, parade, chinese festivals, san francisco, london, sydney, spring festival,Yerba Buena, flower market[/tags]

Named one of the top ten Parades in the world by IFEA, the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco is one of the few remaining night illuminated Parades in the country. Started in the 1860s by the Chinese in San Francisco as a means to educate the community about their culture, the Parade and Festival have grown to be the largest celebration of Asian culture outside of Asia. Since 1958, the parade has been under the direction of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Over 100 units will participate in the Chinese New Year Parade. A San Francisco tradition since just after the Gold Rush, the parade continues to delight and entertain the many hundreds of thousands of people that come to watch it on the street or tune in to watch it on television.

Nowhere in the world will you see a lunar new year parade with more gorgeous floats, elaborate costumes, ferocious lions, exploding firecrackers , and of course the newly crowned Miss Chinatown U.S.A. and her court. A crowd favorite is the spectacular 200ft Golden Dragon (Gum Lung) It takes a team of over 100 men and women from the martial arts group, White Crane to carry this dragon throughout the streets of San Francisco.

[tags]chinese new year, chinatown, chinatown parade, chinese parade, chinese new year parade, parade, chinese festivals, san francisco, miss chinatown, spring festival[/tags]

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[tags] chinese phrases, common chinese phrases, basic Chinese, Chinese voice, mandarin voice, pinyin voice, chinese with voice, annotate chinese, Chinese with audio, pinyin, bopomo, common chinese words, popular chinese words, word list, learn chinese, learn chinese for free, chinese for beginners,Putonghua,chinese words for tourists, chinese phrase for tourists, pronounce Chinese words, pronounce pinyin, pronounce bopomo[/tags]

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[tags] chinese phrases, common chinese phrases, basic Chinese, Chinese voice, mandarin voice, pinyin voice, chinese with voice, annotate chinese, Chinese with audio, pinyin, bopomo, common chinese words, popular chinese words, word list, learn chinese, learn chinese for free, chinese for beginners,Putonghua,chinese words for tourists, chinese phrase for tourists, pronounce Chinese words, pronounce pinyin, pronounce bopomo[/tags]

Place mouse over text to view annotation, click on the arrow to play audio.

[tags] chinese phrases, common chinese phrases, basic Chinese, Chinese voice, mandarin voice, pinyin voice, chinese with voice, annotate chinese, Chinese with audio, pinyin, bopomo, common chinese words, popular chinese words, word list, learn chinese, learn chinese for free, chinese for beginners,Putonghua,chinese words for tourists, chinese phrase for tourists, pronounce Chinese words, pronounce pinyin, pronounce bopomo[/tags]

Place mouse over text to view annotation, click on the arrow to play audio.

[tags] chinese phrases, common chinese phrases, basic Chinese, Chinese voice, mandarin voice, pinyin voice, chinese with voice, annotate chinese, Chinese with audio, pinyin, bopomo, common chinese words, popular chinese words, word list, learn chinese, learn chinese for free, chinese for beginners,Putonghua,chinese words for tourists, chinese phrase for tourists, pronounce Chinese words, pronounce pinyin, pronounce bopomo[/tags]