Chinese New Year in London, UK

 

Photo from the Sharot family.

London, England, has a large Chinatown. Full of Chinese restaurants. Most cities and even small town have a Chinese restaurant. A large number of them are run by people from Hong Kong, from the era when Hong Kong was British. Their language is Cantonese, rather than Mandarin which is spoken in mainland China.  

Food

Favourite menu items include dim sum, sweet and sour chicken, pork ribs, lemon chicken, Peking Duck.

Most high streets have a small restaurant offering take away food. Local residents have leaflets dropped through their door. You will see advertisements, and announcements of seasonal events and discounts in the free newspapers which are in boxes outside railway stations.

Well-known larger Chinese restaurants are

1 in Mill Hill, 

2 in the Edgware Road

3 and on the Watford Way. 

Useful Websites

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How To Learn Chinese Numbers

Where can you see Chinese numbers?

Flag of China.

In China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore.

Flag of Singapore.

But also in Japan which uses the same symbols.

Japanese flag.

Plus of course in Chinese restaurants worldwide. Such as in the USA.

And in the UK.









And websites.

The Chinese numbers one to three and ten are easy, just like the Roman numerals but turned sideways.

The Roman numersals one to three are 1 11 111. Ten is X.

Chinese one is a horizontal line.
Chinese two is two horizontal lines, one above the other.
Chinese three is three horizontal lines.

Chinese ten is like a cross or plus sign. +

You can now read 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13.

How often will you see these if you don't know anything else? Surprisingly often. Look at the sign on a dooway or website giving the opening hours or dates of an event in English and you can see the equivalent in the Chinese.

Sometimes you see only the Chinese. If it's lunchtime and the sign is about opening or closing times and the times. If it is the first three days of the month, you can recognize the date. If you have a 24 hour clock you can read some signs.

Now that you have learned several easy numbers, you might have the confidence to learn some more and be interested in doing so.

Useful Websites
Free Chinese course on the internet
Duolingo.com
singaporeairlines.com
https://holidays.singaporeair.com/en-uk/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Booking A Holiday During Ramadan? Closing times of restaurants for Ramadan in Singapore, Malaysia and Worldwide & Night Markets

Ramadan in Singapore has just ended.
In 2020 the dates are the evening of the 23rd of April to the evening of the 23rd of May.

Singapore
In Singapore you might find that some shops and stalls selling Muslim food are closed during the day during fasting periods. So are some buidlings such as Community Clubs. However, plenty of other restaurants are open.

You will find kiosks and music in the Malay, Muslim and Arab areas. Check your map.

Malaysia
In Malaysia look for the Chinese restaurants in large urban areas. From a distance, driving through Malaysia at night looking for a supper spot, it was easy to see the orange lanterns of the Chinese restaurants.

Note which parts of the country are more religious. If you are a night bird, note that although restaurants are closed in the day, stalls selling food will open after dusk.

Other Countries
The hours when restaurants are closed vary from country to country. A country with short daylight hours will have restaurants opening earlier in the evening. Every country is different. Timing goes by the local sunrise and sunset, not by the clock. Pretty easy to guage. Just look out of the window or check the newspaper or internet for the sunset times later in the day.

When book a holiday for next year in a Muslim country, check the hours of Ramadan and the local laws.

Private Picnics
A good idea to choose food which is not strong-smelling. If you have something such as banana skin which smells strong in the heat, you will want to dispose of it fast. Have your food in containers which seal well.

To eat in privacy, you can eat in a car which has dark windows. In buildings I have retreated into the toilet. A chance to eat unseen and dispose of food.

Self-catering
Self-catering accommodation suits Muslims and non-Muslims. Muslims can fast by day and cook at night. Non muslims can stock up with food and eat in privacy during the day.

Holiday Timing
If you are not Muslim and want to avoid causing offense or going without food in the daytime, visit the Muslim coutnries outside Ramadan; and during Ramadan go to non-Muslim coutnries and current or previously secular or communist countries such as Russia and China.

Useful Websites For Travellers
http://www.when-is.com/ramadan-2020.asp
https://publicholidays.sg/hari-raya-puasa/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.