8th Annual Shenzhen Cartoon and Animation Festival

Cosplayers from a variety of series.

Two gorgeous maidens

Awesome weaponry!

Last week, a friend and I attended the last day of Shenzhen's 8th annual Cartoon and Animation Festival（第八深圳動漫節）. The event spanned five days (July 21-25, 2016) and offered anime fans from Guangdong Province and beyond a chance to share their love of their favorite series and characters.

Edward Elric from
Fullmetal Alchemist

Kakashi from Naruto

From my childhood to my young adult years, I attended several anime conventions and have even donned costumes to attend these events as well. These day, I no longer make an effort to go to such events, but I though it be great fun to attend my first non-American anime convention!

The Shenzhen Cartoon and Animation Festival did not disappoint! Tickets were a fair 50RMB (about $7USD) and there were several impressive costumes, fun games, and cute things on sale to buy.

Costume Play

Costume + play = cosplay! Anime fans love to bring their beloved characters to life by dressing as them at conventions. Some buy their costumes, while other majorly talented fans create their own from scratch. Either way, it's entertaining to see them get into character, especially when they look eerily similar to their fictional counterparts!

Opinion: Congrats, President Tsai! But the Status Quo Will Remain...

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Don't get me wrong, I have no interest in Hilary Clinton becoming the next president of the United States, but Taiwan deserves major kudos for electing its first female president in its history, Tsai Ying-Wen—a feat we Americans have yet to achieve.

Who is Tsai? In a nutshell, she is a 59-year-old professor-turned-politician and prominent member of Taiwan's democratic party. Hailing from southern Taiwan, the calm, mild-mannered Tsai rightfully takes her place as the island new president as she is of Hakka and aboriginal Taiwanese decent.

Arguably, thanks to many Taiwanese's distrust of the former President Ma and his cozy relationship with the Chinese Communist Party, Tsai was able to nab a convincing 60% of the votes in the recent presidential election.

社論：恭喜蔡英文，但是現狀不會改邊...

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恭喜台灣第一位女生主席！她真的代表台灣的希望，前途。 但是，我覺得她沒有辦法改變大陸台灣關係的現狀。對，喜歡共產黨的人很小，但是中國的世界存在是非常非常大。西方的國家沒有認真的興趣承認台灣因為會傷害他們跟大陸的經濟關係。對不起，但是我覺得如果台灣沒有別亞洲的國家，西方的支持，台灣沒有機會成自己的國家。

我覺得蔡主席的任務應該是經濟發展和提高台灣跟世界的關係。我也希望她會促進第一世界的思維在台灣。在我的看法，台灣人跟大陸人的世界觀差不多一樣。技術，基礎設施，學英文...對，都是很好，但是如果你沒有很現代的世界觀那個東西都沒有用，對不對？ 蔡英文，加油，可是請別賣台灣人高不可攀的夢想。

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Xuanmiao Temple: Suzhou's Old Centerpiece

Xuanmiao Temple's San Qing Hall seen from the side.

The temple's main paifang or
decorative gate.

The Taoist Xuanmiao Temple（xuanmiao guan; 玄妙館）—"Mysterious Sublimity Temple" or "Mysterious Essence Temple"—dominates the center of Suzhou. Even so, it was not on my class' itinerary! Had I not decided to explore the city center with some classmates, I would have never visited this charming temple. 

Located on Guanqian Street（觀前街）, a famous pedestrian lane, Xuanmiao Temple's bright gold paint and predominant gate are difficult to miss. Initially built in 276 AD and named Zhen Qing Dao Yuan（真慶道院）, the temple was destroyed during the Song Dynasty, and then rebuilt and renamed in 1264. It was damaged yet again in the 18th century and repaired in 1775. 

玄妙館: 蘇州的老核心

玄妙館的三清殿。 

大牌坊

三清殿西侧鸱吻 

我跟中文課的蘇州旅行日程不包括玄妙館，但是我們休息的時間很多。我跟一些同學一起去了觀前街逛街，然後我們找到玄妙館。哪天我們很幸運因為只有一個鐘頭才關門。遊客很少，所以我們的參觀是和平的。

在我的看法，“和平”是玄妙館的主題。那個金紅的配色方案給我舒服的感覺。再說，是很安靜的地方，可以逃逸又擠又吵的觀前街。

The Summer Palace: A World of Color

The gorgeous Marble Boat, also known as the Boat of Purity and Ease,
which sits on Kunming Lake.

A map of the Summer Palace
(click to enlarge).
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The Summer Palace（Yiheyuan; 頤和園）is a 1.1 square mile (2.9 square meter) compound of temples, residences, and gardens formerly occupied by Chinese nobility. Longevity Hill（wanshoushan; 萬壽山）and Kunming Lake（kunminghu; 昆明湖）dominate most of the land. Like many antiquated areas of Beijing, nature is the focal point of the Summer Palace, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. However, I didn't find this to be the case in the Forbidden City, which has a more solemn feel in my opinion. 

People taking a rest.

While the location of the Summer Palace goes back as far as the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), the palace as it's known now was established during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). After part of it was destroyed during the Second Opium War (1856-1860), the infamous Empress Dowager Cixi used money allocated for the navy to rebuilt it for her 60th birthday.

In regards to ancient sites, the Summer Palace was my favorite stop in China. Unfortunately, my class suffered time restraints like we did when visited the Forbidden City. As a result, we only had about two hours to explore the massive palace. Nevertheless, my classmates and I somehow made it work and we were able to see several of the main temples and halls in the palace.

頤和園：色的世界

石舫在昆明湖上。

頤和園的地圖。
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我班在頤和園的情況跟參觀故宮一樣；時間太少了！我們只有兩個鐘頭而已參觀頤和園。怎麼在兩個小時之內享受頤和園？你不可以...夏天的時候，要等一個小時以上坐昆明湖船。

雖然我們時間太少了，但是當復習我在頤和園拍的照片的時候，發現了我看到了大部分頤和園。我們聰明地用了我們的時間！

休息的人。

我覺得頤和園的景色比故宮的好。有多樣的花，也有很多种多彩建築。說實在的，故宮給我沈悶的感覺...

夏天的時候，頤和園跟別名勝古跡一樣，看起來有五千左右的遊客參觀。可是不算是擠的環境，頤和園很大。再說，有很多可以休息的地方，人有空間可以坐。頤和園真的是在世界上最好玩的休閒公園之一，怪不得它是一個UNESCO世界遺產。

Hawaii State Art Museum

"Hanauma Bay Series: Ronin Samurai" (1982), a watercolor by Masami Teraoka (1936-).
This piece is done in Japanese Ukiyo-e influenced style and is my favorite piece in the museum. 

The Hawaii State Art Museum is comprised of four galleries—the Diamond Head Gallery, the Ewa Gallery, the Sculpture Lobby, and the Sculpture Garden—and features the work of over 100 Hawaiian artists, most of which are Asian American (i.e., Chinese or Japanese), or who moved to Hawaii and spent a significant time in the state. Although the majority of the pieces were created in the 1960s, there are a few newer works of art. 

The history of the museum is quite interesting. The building began as a hotel in 1872, which was converted into a YMCA in 1917, then subsequently used as a military outpost during WWI. Since then, it has became the Hawaii State Art Museum and the home of the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. It is also a popular wedding venue, likely because of the gorgeous scenery.

Patrons can visit the museum for free; therefore, there is no excuse not to stop by if you're in downtown Hawaii! While the gallery is small, the artwork is beautiful and rich.

4 Ways I Study Chinese

Yes, during language study sessions,
I sometimes have this many books open!
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Here's some sage advice regarding language learning:

"If you don't use it, you'll lose it."

I see you rolling your eyes, but believe me, it's true! It's why I can't speak a lick of Spanish anymore!

I do language study one to three hours a day. Sometimes more. Often it involves hitting the books, but sometimes it might be reading comics, watching a drama without subs, or listening to a radio show. 

At the moment, I'm focusing on studying two languages: Mandarin and Japanese; my skills in each language are quite far apart. 

Beginner. Intermediate-advanced. Business level. Those are some of the many levels and labels people use to describe a person's language ability. I don't know which I'd use for myself. For expediency, I'd say my Chinese is a Business/Intermediate-Advanced level and my Japanese is solidly Beginner. 

While my Chinese vocabulary is large and I can respond without thinking much, my tones (I'm tone deaf) are not the best. I can read Chinese subtitles almost as fast as English ones, but always run into a character I don't recognize. I can write slowly, but still make grammar mistakes. I feel comfortable saying I have advanced listening skills, and writing characters isn't much of an issue for me.

I'd also say my Japanese listening skills have passed beginner level and are somewhere in the lower-intermediate category; I can listen to a 1-hour radio show and comprehend 50-60% of the content most of the time. My reading is nearly intermediate as well as I recognize several kanji without having to study them, and have at least the main On-yomi readings down up to mid-level proficency or N3 (thanks Chinese!). I'm working on solidifying Kun-yomi and On-yomi derived from Chinese dialects. But my writing isn't great at all because I'm just starting to study grammar rules (which are way more extensive than Chinese), and I'm still building my speaking confidence.

Anyhow, this post will focus on four of the several methods I'm currently using to improve my Chinese and maintain the skills I have. I think if you're just beginning to learn Chinese, these are things you can do in the now so you don't fall behind later. Keep in mind that I'm not a Chinese teacher (pahaha, faaaaar from it). These are simply things I do to study, and what I've noticed since I started studying Chinese in 2008.

This is the first part of a language learning series on my blog. In the future, I'd like to share more Chinese study methods, and elaborate on my progress in Japanese, especially how Chinese has helped.

The Forbidden City (故宮)

My photograph of the Forbidden City in 2011.

The Forbidden City in 1900.
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The Forbidden City or gugong （故宮）was crowned a UNESCO World Heritage site as it is considered the best preserved set of wooden structures in the world. It served as the imperial palace for emperors beginning in the Ming Dynasty until the end of the Qing Era, the last of China's dynasty periods. Construction began on the Forbidden City in 1406 under the charge of the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di, and it was completed in 1420. The city is about 180 acres and includes nearly 1,000 buildings.

As the Forbidden City is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Beijing—if not China—the area was completely crowded on the summer weekend my class visited. In addition, several local visitors wanted to take pictures of us. It was almost like we were a free attraction, especially for the family that had their hands in my braids at the entrance—strangely amusing!

Despite the occasional unwanted attention, I was happy to visit the Forbidden City as it is so well preserved. However, our class schedule was tight and we were only given two hours to explore, not nearly enough time to see everything. At least, I think a person would need half a day to thoroughly enjoy the Forbidden City. 

參觀故宮

2011年的故宮

大家知道，故宮（也叫紫禁城）是在北京最有名的名勝古跡之一。我和我同學一起去故宮，是一日遊（我們先去了天安們廣場）。夏天的時候，是很熱鬧的地方，人太多。也有很多想拍我的照片的人。按我的經驗在北京沒有辦法避免那种人。

1900年的故宮
Source 

固然故宮是很漂亮的地方，不過對我一點難享受因為人很多，所以看每座大廳不太方便。只要忍耐就行了哈哈。

我們班只有了兩個小時在故宮，時間太少了，沒辦法什麼都看到。最多我之看到差不多三分之一故宮。參觀每地方在故宮裡需要四個鐘頭多，我覺得。

Wangfujing's "Taiwan Great Food Street"//王府井的“台灣美食街

夜市招牌跟台灣地圖。
The night market sign with a map of Taiwan.

夜市大門口。
The night market main entrance.

我不知道誰決定王府井的夜市應該命名“台灣美食街”；王府井的食物跟在台灣夜市的不太一樣啊！好，說實在的，台灣美食街有一些在台灣可以找到的食物，但是大部分不是台灣式的。我2011年參觀王府井的夜市，所以從那時到現在應該改變了吧。

I don't know who decided Wangfujing's night market should be named "Taiwan Great Food Street". The food there and Taiwanese night market fare is not that similar! Granted, Taiwan Great Food Street has some of the same food you can find in Taiwan, but most of it isn't Taiwanese-style. However, I went there in 2011, so it must have changed since then.

烤肉
Kebab meat

去王府井不是我們班的實地考察之一，就是去過中國一次的同學陪我們去。王府井對我很有意思因為人觀看是我的興趣之一。因為王府井很有名，所以很熱鬧的地方。到了夜晚，商店仍然象白天一樣，非常熱鬧。到周末好像北京人都去王府井以的。

Going to Wangfujing wasn't a field trip arranged for our class, a classmate who had been to China before led some of us there. Before I went to Wangfujing, I didn't know what to expect. Wangfujing is interesting in my opinion because people-watching is one of my hobbies. Because Wangfujing is very famous, it's a bustling place. At night, the stores are still teeming with people as they are in the daytime. 

5 Ways Black Girls Can Cope While Traveling Abroad in Asia

(Edited; Cross-posted on The Blasian Narrative and ForHarriet).

In 2012, I moved to Taiwan as a childish, unassertive, somewhat immature bright-eyed 22-year-old with residual high school insecurities finally striking out on my own. Earlier this year, I left Taiwan mature with more confidence and many good, bad, and ugly experiences under my belt. I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything; however, I know several of my positive experiences would have been impossible for me to recognize or enjoy had I not changed my mindset and attitude toward certain situations while abroad. Therefore, I'd like to share some tips I believe will assist Black women love every minute of their time abroad whether they've moved or are on vacation. 

Sometimes I find Black women are reluctant to travel or live abroad—especially solo—because they already feel marginalized in their own countries. Nevertheless, I don't think anyone should ignore their desire to see the world because they are worried about how they'll be received. Granted, it will certainly require a thick skin, if you don't already have any. Three years ago I didn't, and boy did I learn. There comes a time where you either develop the strength to be yourself in a sea of homogeneity or shut down, a prisoner of your own mind. 

I have only been to three Asian countries for longer than a layover; I lived in New Taipei City, Taiwan for nearly three years, completed a summer semester in Beijing as an undergrad, and vacationed in Tokyo. Nevertheless, I feel these tips likely apply to any nation where there isn't a significant Black population. 

1. Do whatever you like

You shouldn't, either!

Seriously, I think I enjoyed my time abroad most when I simply didn't care. Being a Black girl in a place where there virtually are none isn't a crime. There's no point in feeling bad about having a moment or doing what you'd do at home unless it heavily clashes with the manners or culture of the country you're in. 

Want to sleep on the train during the ride home? Like to whistle while you walk? Want to wear your favorite neon-colored dress? Go ahead! As long as you're respectful, you shouldn't prevent yourself from doing whatever you want.

Oh, you're just having some juice at 7-11? Guess what, even a simple action like that is going to make you stand out, so you might as well do all those other normal things you "can't" do. 

Tiger Hill & The Humble Administrator's Garden

Two of the most popular places in Suzhou I visited during my 2011 class trip to China were the Humble Administrator's Garden (拙政 園) and Tiger Hill (虎丘).  Out of the two locations, I think I liked Tiger Hill more mainly because the pagoda there was gorgeous, but both are very scenic and popular spots worth visit.

At Tiger Hill.

Close to the Humble Administrator's Garden.

The Great Wall of China

So. Many. People!

Part of the crowd up close.

A trip to China is not complete without visiting one of the sections of the Great Wall of China.  So, when I went to China, my classmates and I took a day trip to the most popular wall in the world!  Aside from the obscene heat and hoards of people there, it was definitely a positive experience.

The Badaling section of the Great Wall is one of the more popular portions.  It's a little over an hour away from Beijing.  Our school arranged for a bus to take us, but there are many public and tour buses shuttling people to the Great Wall.

798 Art District

The sign at the main entrance.

Like any other place in Beijing, people
wanted to take pictures with me.

Because I love art, my favorite place in Beijing was 798 Art District (popularly called "qi-jiu-ba" or 7-9-8) which is located in Chaoyang (朝陽區).

Why does the art district have such a name?  Well, long story short, the area was an old industrial zone where a large factory called Factory 718 was built.  One of the buildings within the factory was named Factory 798.  So, when the artists moved in, the numbers from that factory became popularized and eventually became the name for the entire area.