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Off topic: Mysterious document Thread poster: Alexander Shchekotin (X)
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Alexander Shchekotin (X) 
Local time: 16:32
English to Russian
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TOPIC STARTER | Should we check the factory? | May 20, 2009 |
lai an wrote:
Was the message actually in a pottle of play-dough?. What is your theory?
Yes, there were several pottles in the play-dough box and the agreement was folded and stuck into one of it.
I have the following idea of what happened:
The Parties asked the Guy working in the that play-dough factory to help them composing the agreement. The Parties promised to pay for this small job but failed. The Guy that composed the agreement got andry (or just for a joke) and decided to ship his unpaid work as far as possbile so that nobody gets it back.
Actually, I thought somebody with local Chinese expertise could pour a light on this. Should I contact the factory to know whether anybody with those name works there?
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| No, maybe not ...; nice theory | May 21, 2009 |
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| apple varieties: 花牛 huaniu, 蛇果 sheguo | May 27, 2009 |
lai an wrote:
... the technicians wrote the two characters "huaniu 花牛" in pencil on the top right hand corner of the packing cases as a mark. ... (Translated from 'Gansu’s Special Local Products' in Duan Deyi, Qi Baoling, Li Yingrui eds., Gansu Tourist Guide, 1982, China Tourism Publishing House, Beijing)
1 I'm wondering, why would the technicians choose ‘花牛’as a mark? What would it signify?
Recently I read something that suggests that the people of the NW love their cattle. Would that have any bearing on it? [ ... many hua'er songs have a tender, but bitter-sweet feel, analogous to the country blues of early 20th century southern USA. ...The word ganiu frequently appears in hua'er, and lexicographically it means 'calf'. But it is really the equivalent of 'baby' in the blues ... (Doar, ANU China Heritage Quarterly 10:June 2007) ]
2 Here's the whole story (@ Alexander, the Chinese paragraphs are quite long):
'Huaniu apples are produced in Tianshui County by the Huaniuzhai Production Brigade. The brigade established their orchards on the hills in 1956, and introduced ten apple varieties, including: hongyuanshuai (red marshal), jinguan (golden crown), guoguang (national glory), wojin (Japanese brocade) and hongyu (red jade). In 1965 the first shipment of around one hundred cases of red marshal, about three thousand jin, was shipped to Hong Kong through the Tianjin Foreign Trading Corporation. In order to understand the trial sale process, the technicians wrote the two characters " 花牛 huaniu" in pencil on the top right hand corner of the packing cases as a mark. The shipment of apples was sold to a British trading house, which then on-sold them to an American trader. According to the Hong Kong papers, "In China's North-West is a 'Huaniu State' which grows top-quality 'Huaniu apples'. The quality is higher than that of America's elite apple - 蛇果 sheguo, and it has also beaten the famous-name apples of every other country." At that time in the comparative assessment of the Hong Kong market, China's 'Huaniu' apples were the best in the world and had carried off the elite label. After the 'Huaniu' red marshals had entered the international market in 1965 and been valued highly, China formally used 'Huaniu' as a trademark and Huaniu apples became known throughout the world.
The huaniu apple is large, regular, tall, with five distinct points, bright red in colour (redness reaches 60-100%), and crisp and sweet. It has won a welcome from consumers at home and abroad, and become an item which sells readily in the international market. '
3 Does anyone know anything about the 'elite American apple', 蛇果 sheguo? (I haven't googled on this, just curious to see if someone recognises it)
Lesley
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| Estonia: entrepot and transport hub; 花牛 huaniu apples, etc | Jun 1, 2009 |
lai an wrote:
I once translated a story about some apples being exported through Hong Kong. It gives a picture of the commercial life of Hong Kong. You possibly have something similar where you are.
Hello again Alexander
1 Hmm, I found that Estonia is a maritime nation (Tallinn was a member of the Hanseatic League), and that the Baltic States are indeed entrepots and transhipment hubs for trade. It is all very interesting. It seems that containers from China come by sea, via Hamburg and Rotterdam, and overland, via the Russian Far East, Inner Mongolia, and Kazakhstan.
[Articles in Chinese and English:
http://www.simic.net.cn/news/detail.jsp?id=12056
波罗的海三国港口与物流发展综述 上海国际海事信息与文献网 发布时间:2007-08-31
http://www.esis.ee/ist2004/text/404.html
'Muuga Port is the largest and deepest port in Estonia ... Estonia’s open economy, excellent transportation links and central location ... ' ]
2 About the Chinese 'huaniu' apples, I overlooked the fact that they were produced by the Huaniuzhai Production Brigade 花牛寨大队 which explains the mark.
3 I cannot really follow this part of the story, about the Huaniu State: 香港报载：“中国的西北地区有个‘花牛国’，生产优质的‘花牛苹果’，品质超过美国的王牌苹果——‘蛇果‘，并压到世界各国名牌的产品“。当时在香港市场评比，中国‘花牛’苹果在世界上是最优质的，夺得王牌称号。...
Lesley
[ Here is the first part of the Huaniu apples source text, if anyone is interested:
花牛苹果：花牛苹果产于我省天水县花牛寨大队。该队于一九五六年在山地建园，由外地引进红元帅、金冠、国光、倭锦、红玉等十个品种。一九六五年经天津外贸公司，第一次将红元帅一百余箱，约三千斤，运销香港。为了了解试销情况，技术人员在包装箱的右上角用铅笔写上“花牛”二字，作为记号。这批花牛红元帅苹果卖给英国贸易商，英商又转销美商。... ]
[ BTW, one of those rail lines from China to Europe runs from the coast, west, through Gansu Province where the huaniu apples come from, so who knows perhaps Gansu apples and pears etc, and rhubarb, could end up in the Baltic States ..., competing with NZ apples, etc. Oops ... ]
[Edited at 2009-06-03 03:34 GMT]
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| Export crops, etc: rhubarb; handicrafts | Jun 4, 2009 |
lai an wrote:
BTW, one of those rail lines from China to Europe runs from the coast, west, through Gansu Province where the huaniu apples come from, so who knows perhaps Gansu apples and pears etc, and rhubarb, could end up in the Baltic States ..., competing with NZ apples, etc. Oops ...
'Rhubarb exports to Europe?' '可不是吗。It's all true.':
Rhubarb [Daihuang]: mainly grown in the hill districts of the counties of Longnan. Lixian County's product is the best, and is known as "Xuanshui daihuang" in the international market. According to the records, China has been selling rhubarb abroad for eight hundred years. It is the main exporting country in the world, and sells mainly to the West European countries.
Rhubarb is a Chinese medicinal material. Its medicinal characteristics are: bitterness and coldness, and aromatic, numbing, and lubricating qualities. It is efficacious for removing heat, treating diarrhoea, settling the stomach and as a disinfectant. It is mainly used in industrial dyes, perfumes, and wine-making compounds.
Translated from Duan, Qi & Li eds., 'Gansu's Special Local Produce', Gansu Tourist Guide (1982), China Tourism Publishing House, Beijing
[Who knew that rhubarb had so many uses? ... Apparently, one of Estonia's major export earners is oil-shale ... Back to 'pottles of play-dough' - I do remember that our Latin teacher, who was Latvian, taught embroidery. Is that a 'national thing' in Northern Europe, I wonder. I have no idea ... ]
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| 某些产品的属性和益处; 油页岩; Transcontinental Bridge; world apple trade | Jun 5, 2009 |
[ http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/9027184.html
FAB是什么意思？：FAB（属性，作用，益处）的法则 ]
1 Features and benefits of Huaniu apples and Gansu rhubarb, source texts:
花牛苹果：花牛苹果以果形硕大，端正，高桩，五角突出，果色鲜红（红度达60-100%），甜脆可口等优点，赢得了国内外消费者的�... See more [ http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/9027184.html
FAB是什么意思？：FAB（属性，作用，益处）的法则 ]
1 Features and benefits of Huaniu apples and Gansu rhubarb, source texts:
花牛苹果：花牛苹果以果形硕大，端正，高桩，五角突出，果色鲜红（红度达60-100%），甜脆可口等优点，赢得了国内外消费者的欢迎，成为国际市场的畅销货。
大黄：大黄系中药材，其药性是：苦、寒、香、麻、润，有去热、利泻、健胃及杀菌的功能，主要用于工业染料，香料及酿酒之配料。
2 Oil-shale:
Oil shale is found in Fushun (Liaoning) and Maoming (Guangdong).
油页岩分布在抚顺（辽宁）、茂名（广东）。
3 NW China's transcontinental bridge (from the Yellow Sea to Kazakhstan): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_railways_in_China#Transcontinental_Bridge_Railways : Longhai Railway; Lianyungang-Lanzhou 陇海铁路; Lanxin Railway; Lanzhou-Xinjiang 兰新铁路
4 The world's top 10 apple exporters/importers (2004):
http://international-trade-leaders.suite101.com/article.cfm/top_ten_apple_countries
5 A famous handicraft item (Jiuquan's jade winecups):
'Noctilucent winecups have properties of heat-tolerance and resistance to extreme cold. If you pour in heated wine, they neither shatter nor crack, in the dead of winter, they neither freeze nor explode. After the wine has been poured, the colour does not change, the flavour is stronger, and it has been called white jade essence. What is more, the method of looking after the cups is simple, when you have finished using them, do not wash or scrub them, just use a clean dry cloth and clean them very lightly, and if you put them in the box to prevent dust and dirt build-up and to guard against smoke-damage, then they will keep their natural brilliant colour and lustre almost indefinitely. ' (translated from 'Gansu Tourist Guide')
[Edited at 2009-06-05 06:49 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Alexander Shchekotin (X)
Local time: 16:32
English to Russian
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TOPIC STARTER | Rhubarb, Estonia and oil-shale | Jun 5, 2009 |
Yeah, besides its transport facilities Estonia is know due to the fact that it's one of two or three countries in the world that still relies on oil-shale in this power supply. The major power station burns it to produce electricity.
Not less interesting is rhubarb. This plant is very spread in Estonia and used primarily to cook cakes.
In the Estonian language, rhubarb is 'rabarber' (etymology is easily traced).
In Russian, rhubarb is 'reven' but if you say 'rev... See more Yeah, besides its transport facilities Estonia is know due to the fact that it's one of two or three countries in the world that still relies on oil-shale in this power supply. The major power station burns it to produce electricity.
Not less interesting is rhubarb. This plant is very spread in Estonia and used primarily to cook cakes.
In the Estonian language, rhubarb is 'rabarber' (etymology is easily traced).
In Russian, rhubarb is 'reven' but if you say 'reven' to a Russian-speaker in Estonia, they would ask you "what's that?" Russian speakers in Estonia use 'rabarber' and 'reven' is completely distinct.
How would you pronounce rhubarb on Chinese? ▲ Collapse
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[ lai an wrote:
Rhubarb is a Chinese medicinal material. Its medicinal characteristics are: bitterness and coldness, and aromatic, numbing, and lubricating qualities. It is efficacious for removing heat, treating diarrhoea, settling the stomach and as a disinfectant. It is mainly used in industrial dyes, perfumes, and wine-making compounds.
大黄：大黄系中药材，其药性是：苦、寒、香、麻、润，有去热、利泻、健胃及杀菌的功能，主要用于工业染料，香料及酿酒之配料 。
-> I am afraid this is not a very good translation. 'treating diarrhoea' is clearly wrong ... comments welcome.]
Alexander
Thank you for your post. Rhubarb, and the history of the rhubarb trade on the Silk Route, is absolutely fascinating! I had no idea. I wonder why the Russians call it 'reven'. At a quick look, most references seem to give the Chinese pronunciation as 'dahuang' ... Apparently, it has been used for medicinal purposes in China and Europe since the 1st Century, and was known to the Greeks.
We eat rhubarb in pies etc here too. Sometimes we have 'baked apples', rather like the 'baked pears' below.
I understand that Estonia is a wooded country, perhaps like Finland.
Lesley
[Pears: ... The people of Lanzhou like eating dongguo pears hot. In the dead of winter, when they are snow and ice-bound, they take out the cores of the dongguo pears and fill them with a variety of ingredients ... Then they put them in a casserole, cover it tightly, and cook them for eight hours before taking them out. They are soft and sweet-sour, with a rich mellow flavour. ... (translated from 'Gansu Tourist Guide') ]
[Rhubarb in Kyrgyzstan:
http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:5XcQClpEjLYJ:www.discovery-central-asia.com/archive/2007/summer2007/sm6.htm%20rhubarb%20reven&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk
The orchards of Central Asia ]
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wherestip
United States
Local time: 08:32
Chinese to English
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wherestip
United States
Local time: 08:32
Chinese to English
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| constipation, not diarrhea | Jun 7, 2009 |
lai an wrote:
[ lai an wrote:
Rhubarb is a Chinese medicinal material. Its medicinal characteristics are: bitterness and coldness, and aromatic, numbing, and lubricating qualities. It is efficacious for removing heat, treating diarrhoea, settling the stomach and as a disinfectant. It is mainly used in industrial dyes, perfumes, and wine-making compounds.
大黄：大黄系中药材，其药性是：苦、寒、香、麻、润，有去热、利泻、健胃及杀菌的功能，主要用于工业染料，香料及酿酒之配料 。
-> I am afraid this is not a very good translation. 'treating diarrhoea' is clearly wrong ... comments welcome.]
Lesley,
You're right. 利泻 is to cure constipation.
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| therapeutic effects of various Chinese products: pears 梨, rhubarb 大黄, etc; Lin Zexu 林则徐 | Jun 9, 2009 |
[ @ Steve
1 Thanks. Names. (The texts I saw used words like 'cathartic', 'purgative'... The same as 'laxative'? - I have no idea). 大黄派 'rhubarb pie' looks strange to me too - like the name of a religious sect. There seem to be quite a few names for rhubarb in Chinese ... . I notice the Longman Ch->Eng dictionary calls it '（食用）大黄 edible daihuang'.
2 BTW I still wonder about ‘huaniu apples’ = flowery cow/spotted ... See more [ @ Steve
1 Thanks. Names. (The texts I saw used words like 'cathartic', 'purgative'... The same as 'laxative'? - I have no idea). 大黄派 'rhubarb pie' looks strange to me too - like the name of a religious sect. There seem to be quite a few names for rhubarb in Chinese ... . I notice the Longman Ch->Eng dictionary calls it '（食用）大黄 edible daihuang'.
2 BTW I still wonder about ‘huaniu apples’ = flowery cow/spotted cow/brindled cow (?) apples ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bull-Riding2-Szmurlo.jpg A brindle bull
3 I wonder whether you have ever seen Commissioner Lin Zexu's letter to Queen Victoria, where he mentions rhubarb: 'Of all that China exports to foreign countries, there is not a single thing which is not beneficial to people: ... Take tea and rhubarb, for example; ... ' http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:9r8grySzeKkJ:acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/com-lin.html%20lin%20zexu%20rhubarb&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk ]
It is interesting (to me) how all the various qualities of fruits (taste, texture, therapeutic effects etc) are rolled into one in the Chinese texts. Here is more from the 'dongguo pear' example:
The dongguo pear contains a lot of nutritious materials, it is crisp and tender and very juicy. It is cool, refreshing and appetising. It can help digestion and stimulate the appetite. Its greatest distinguishing feature is its keeping qualities. If it is stored in an ordinary cellar, it will keep until May or June of the next year, and in some districts it will keep until July.
lai an wrote:
... The people of Lanzhou like eating dongguo pears hot. In the dead of winter, when they are snow and ice-bound, they take out the cores of the dongguo pears and fill them with a variety of ingredients ... Then they put them in a casserole, cover it tightly, and cook them for eight hours before taking them out. They are soft and sweet-sour, with a rich mellow flavour. ... (translated from 'Gansu Tourist Guide') ]
Especially when they are eaten with soup, they can clean the heart and moisten the lungs, relieve a cough and reduce phlegm.
[ Filling: a variety of ingredients: lard, Chinese prickly ash , rock sugar, daxiang , caoguo , and Chinese cinnamon. ]
[Edited at 2009-06-09 07:17 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| Source texts: rhubarb, dongguo pears, luminous winecups | Jun 10, 2009 |
甘肃旅游指南，1982 Gansu Tourist Guide 原文 source texts
大黄：我省主要产于陇南各县山区，以礼县产品为好，国际市场称“宣水大黄”。据记载，我国大黄外销已有八百年历史，是世界主要出口国家，主要销售西欧国家。
兰州冬果梨：冬果梨含有丰富的营养物质，脆嫩多汁，清爽可口，能帮助消化，增进食欲。它的最大特点是耐贮性强，用普通窑窖贮藏，能贮�... See more 甘肃旅游指南，1982 Gansu Tourist Guide 原文 source texts
大黄：我省主要产于陇南各县山区，以礼县产品为好，国际市场称“宣水大黄”。据记载，我国大黄外销已有八百年历史，是世界主要出口国家，主要销售西欧国家。
兰州冬果梨：冬果梨含有丰富的营养物质，脆嫩多汁，清爽可口，能帮助消化，增进食欲。它的最大特点是耐贮性强，用普通窑窖贮藏，能贮到次年五六月份，有的地区可以贮到七月份。兰州地区人民喜吃热冬果，寒冬腊月，冰封雪飘之时，把冬果梨的核取出，内盛生公猪油、花椒、大香、草果、桂皮等各种原料，放在沙锅里封口炖煮八个小时取出，烂而甜酸、香味浓郁。尤其是连汤食用，可以清心润肺、止咳化痰。
酒泉夜光杯：月光被具有耐高温，抗严寒的优点。斟烫酒，不爆不裂；寒冬时，不冰不炸。盛酒后，色不变，味更浓，被称为白玉精。而且，保管方式简单，使用完毕，不洗不刷，只要用干净布轻轻擦拭，装入盒内，避免沾积尘垢，谨防烟熏，就能长久保存天然的光彩色泽。
[Edited at 2009-06-11 09:50 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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