Christine (12) watched 2018’s summer blockbuster TV series “延熙攻略“. She loved it!
2-2019: Music
“Tu & Only” performed at three separate Chinese New Year celebrations in Atlanta. Here are the four songs we performed:
3-2019: Reading
Christine (12) studied 6th grade Chinese language art textbook from Taiwan. This is one of the chapters she worked on.
第五課 翠玉白菜
玉是一種半透明、具有光澤的美石，中國人極愛玉石的雅致和溫潤，喜歡拿玉來比喻美麗或尊貴，更將玉石巧雕成各式各樣的吉祥造型。
玉器的製作相當費工、費時，玉匠為了充分利用玉料，雕琢時會順應其自然天成的外形或色澤來設計製作，這就是所謂的「量材就質」。故宮博物院典藏的「翠玉白菜」，就是依循這種理念的經典之作，因為奇巧無比，所以成為名聞中外的藝術品。
一般而言，質純的玉石呈白色，有些因為含有不同的金屬元素，會呈現翠綠色或赤色。翠玉白菜就是以一塊半白半綠的玉料雕成，玉匠巧妙利用玉質顏色的變化，將玉石綠色部分，雕出翻捲的菜葉；白色部分，雕出脈絡分明的菜莖，白、綠的漸層變化，渾然天成，有如一顆鮮嫩欲滴，可以掐出水來的白菜。更有趣的是，玉匠巧妙的在葉片上雕了活靈活現的螽斯和蝗蟲，這神來一筆，讓原本靜態寫實的作品，頓時活潑起來，充滿令人驚喜的動態美。
翠玉白菜原是北京紫禁城永和宮中的陳設品，是清末光緒皇帝的妃子——瑾妃的嫁妝。這件嫁妝不但貴重，還隱含著父母對出嫁女兒的祝福：白菜寓意清白，象徵新娘的純潔；螽斯，俗稱「紡織娘」，能高聲鳴唱，而且繁殖力很強，用來祝福新娘多子多孫。
遠近馳名的翠玉白菜，結合了玉料天然的美和玉匠精湛的雕工，除了令人賞心悅目，還有一層寓意傳情的物外之趣，堪稱為玉器中的珍品，也讓所有慕名前來參觀的人，留下深刻的印象。
5-2019: Music
“Tu & Only” performed for Mother’s Day celebration.
7-2019: Chinese Debate
Christine (13) and I (16, team captain) were part of the five-person Southeast US Atlanta Chinese Debate Team, probably the only such team in the US, and competed in the 5th annual Debate Asia held in Taipei, attended mostly by native speaker students from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Malaysia. Our team worked extremely hard over the summer to prepare for the competition, and at the end, placed better than 14 out of 31 teams and received the Team Popularity Award! I also won an individual debate “Outstanding Debater” award.
2019: Entertainment
Christine (13) watched the TV series「後宮甄嬛傳」and「如懿傳」, two popular court consort drama during China’s 17-18th century Ching Dynasty.
9-2019: Music
Tu & Only” performed for the Taiwanese night market celebration in Norcross, GA. There were about 4,000 visitors in 5 hours for the event.
12-2019: Music
“Tu & Only” performed for the Atlanta Chinese Medical Society’s Christmas / New Year celebration, after practicing at least 15 hours for each song. We received an outstanding volunteering award for all the work we put into for the nonprofit organization.
12-2019 Reading
Christine (13) studied a popular classical short piece of writing from the 7th-grade Chinese language art textbook from Taiwan.
兒時記趣
作者：沈復 (1763-1825)
余憶童稚時，能張目對日，明察秋毫。見藐小微物，必細察其紋理，故時有物外之趣。
夏蚊成雷，私擬作群鶴舞空，心之所向，則或千或百，果然鶴也；昂首觀之，項為之強。又留蚊於素帳中，徐噴以煙，使之沖煙飛鳴，作青雲白鶴觀；果如鶴唳雲端，為之怡然稱快。
又常於土牆凹凸處、花臺小草叢雜處，蹲其身，使與臺齊；定神細視，以叢草為林，蟲蟻為獸；以土礫凸者為丘，凹者為壑，神遊其中，怡然自得。
一日，見二蟲鬥草間，觀之，興正濃，忽有龐然大物，拔山倒樹而來，蓋一癩蝦蟆也。舌一吐而二蟲盡為所吞。余年幼，方出神，不覺呀然驚恐。神定，捉蝦蟆，鞭數十，驅之別院。
1-2020: COVID-19
Extensive reports in Taiwan of a novel coronavirus from Wuhan, China began early in January. As my parents are physicians and Taiwan was significantly affected by the 2003-2004 SARS outbreak, they started watching such TV program regularly then to keep abreast of the situation. So, my sister and I started watch some of them as well.
應用中文 (Applied Chinese) 