11/09/2007 10:27 AM

Can Someone Help with a Chinese Song from an Album called “Children’s Folk Rhymes in Beijing”?

Kel wrote: Hi, I just found your web page and am interested in finding a song and lyrics. The song is called is “Looking at the Sights With My Small Eyes” (in Chinese its “Xiao Yan Jing Kan Jing Zhi Er”). It’s from an album called “Children’s Folk Rhymes in Beijing”..... I’m trying to find somewhere I [...]

05/29/2007 04:34 PM

I Need Help with the Chinese Text for a Kids Song called Count Ducks

I received a wonderful Chinese children’s song recently called Count Ducks. The text I received is a scanned in image – I had a hard time making it look crisp and clear. If anyone can send me the computerized text in Chinese, I’d be grateful. Here’s the graphic, followed by an English [...]

04/16/2007 10:18 PM

Yuan Xiao and the Lantern Festival in China

Yuan Xiao is a traditional food for the Lantern Festival in China. The Lantern Festival is at the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. People go outside with lanterns, watch the dragon dance, set off firecrackers, and they eat Yuan Xiao. (Yuan Xiao is also called Tang Yuan.) There’s a sweet version [...]

03/29/2007 11:21 AM

Qingming - Festival of Pure Brightness - 清明節

The Qingming Festival takes place on April 4, 5, or 6th – whichever is the 104th day after the winter solstice. It’s celebrated in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Qingming has many names and spellings: Qingming, Ching Ming, Ch’ing Ming, Qing Ming Jie. In English it’s been called Clear Brightness Festival, Remembrance of Ancestors [...]

03/26/2007 01:47 PM

Delighting in Rain on a Spring Night - A Poem by the Chinese Poet Du Fu

Du Fu, also known as Tu Fu (712-770), is one of the best-known poets of China. Many of his poems are about nature and the seasons. Here’s Delighting in Rain on a Spring Night in simplified Chinese and with an English translation by Brendan O’Kane. After the translation, I posted the traditional Chinese text. 春夜喜雨 Delighting [...]

02/16/2007 08:43 PM

The Chinese New Year - The Year of the Pig

February 18th is the first day of the Chinese New Year. This coming year will be the year of the Golden Pig. It’s considered to be a very lucky, prosperous year. The pig is considered the symbol of fertility. People born in the year of the Pig are thought to be [...]

01/18/2007 06:05 PM

Can You Help with a Mandarin (or Cantonese) Chinese Children’s Song?

Linda wrote: Dear Mama Lisa, I spent two years in Taiwan and three in Hong Kong as a child. I was taught a song, I believe in Mandarin, that began as follows: Gu gu ba ba jung wei da een ya za wo ja way gwa chu dong dong dong bing shou ha ha I learned this about 40 years ago, so I [...]

01/06/2007 08:35 PM

How to Find Sheet Music, Tunes and MP3’s on Mama Lisa’s World

In addition to this blog, I also host Mama Lisa’s World. Mama Lisa’s World is a large collection of children’s songs and rhymes from countries all around the globe. Matt, a music teacher from Rhode Island, wrote a question to me, the other day, about Mama Lisa’s World: Hey Mama, I love the concept of your site. [...]

03/26/2006 01:33 PM

Cherry Blossom Festivals Around the World

In previous entries I talked about the importance of Cherry Blossoms in Japan. In 1912 the mayor of Tokyo gave a gift of 3000 cherry trees to the city of Washington D.C., thus spreading the love of cherry blossom viewing to North America. Nowadays, Washington D.C. hosts the National Cherry Blossom Festival. I’ve been there and [...]

01/23/2006 05:05 PM

Why Does the Chinese New Year Move Around?

By Raymond Lee Every year, the Chinese New Year comes several days earlier than it did the year before. If you’re wondering why, it’s because the Chinese year is shorter than the western year. Of course, something has to be done or the Chinese New Year will just keep moving up. The Chinese [...]