Testing... 1, 2, 3... does this still work? Great! I still have a blog. Let me see if I can remember how to work this thing...Walking through the Guangzhou subway the other day I saw this advertisement for real estate. it's one of those priceless looks into Chinese culture that is so valuable because it's Chinese people critiquing themselves.Here's a direct translation (with pinyin) and my commentary.

Billboard Title

xīn chūn shí lián wèn 新春十连问 = New Year's 10 Connected Questions

My Commentary

• Interesting they used the words "xīn chūn" for "New Year's." The other ways to say it are "xīn nián" 新年 and "chūn jié" 春节. I'm not entirely sure what the difference is besides combing both of them.
• The "connected" bit means sort of "non-stop." This is the cultural commentary. Young people heading home for the holidays are dreading the barrage and wèn huà 问话 from their family members about their economic, marital, and child-bearing progress. So this real estate company is trying to establish credibility with struggling, young workers by showing they sympathize with how NOT-fun it is to face these questions. "So why not let our real estate company help you answer at least one of them?" (the 2nd one in my list).

The (Dreaded) Questions

1. nǐ jīn nián shōu rù duōshao a? 你今年收入多少啊？= What's your yearly income this year?
2. shénme shíhòu mǎi fáng a? 什么时候买房啊？= When will you by a house?
3. mǎi chē le ma? 买车了吗？= Have you bought a car?
4. shénme shíhòu jiéhūn a? 什么时候结婚啊？ = When will you getting married?
5. shénme shíhòu yào háizi a? 什么时候要孩子啊？= When do you want to have kids?
6. shénme shíhòu shēng èr tāi a? 什么时候生二胎啊 = When will you have your 2nd child?
7. shénme shíhòu jiǎn féi a? 什么时候减肥啊？ = When will you lose weight?
8. xīn nián méi qù guó wài wán ma? 新年没去国外玩吗？= You didn't go travelling abroad for New Year's?

My Commentary

I'm going to talk mostly about culture here.Questions 1-3

• You can see these are mostly about money. I've been asked all three of these by taxi drivers, so I can imagine that family members would be even more interested. It's very common in China to talk openly about personal finances. But, as this billboard implies: just because it's common doesn't mean Chinese people enjoy it.
• It's commonly thought that men have to have their own house and car before getting married, so I put these questions at the top of the list.
• The BIGGEST question on the billboard is question number one. Does that mean it's the most feared of them all, or that it's the most important for the remaining questions?

Questions 4-6

• This is the order the questions will get asked. This billboard is implying that no matter what your current situation is (single, married, have one kid already) there is still one more dreaded question waiting for you.
• Question 6: starting in 2016, the famous "One Child Policy" was officially updated to be the "Two Child Policy." Hence, the chance to get asked about a second child. By just observing the Chinese mom's around me, it seems like a whole bunch of families are making use of the new law!

Question 7

• This is a hilarious and awkwardly realistic question to be asked by family members and friends. But again, just because talking openly about weight problems is common in China doesn't mean they all enjoy it. Otherwise, why would it be on the "10 Dreaded Questions" list?

Question 8

• There is an interesting tension in China: come home for the holidays vs. go travel for the holidays. With the growing popularity and status associated with "international" experience, I can imagine young people going home for the holidays and getting mixed messages about "nice to have you home but why aren't you out traveling?"

Ummm...

• I could only find 8 questions. Can anyone look at the picture and find the other 2...?

Gǒu Nián Kuài Lè! 狗年快乐! Happy Year of the Dog!