What do you usually do in your spare time? Chatting online is now a nationalpastime in China, especially among the post-90s and post-00s generation. To somepeople, however, online chats can seem like a kind of polite conversation. Yet hiddenrules and standards do exist, as long as you take the time to look for them.

   Get to the Point

   When sending a friend request, include your real name and any other identifyinginformation. Remember, everybody's time is precious. If there's something you want,cut right to the chase. Never send an "Are you there?" without any follow-upmessages. The quicker that you get to the point, the more likely the other personis to reply.

   Send the Right Things

   Please send texts, not voice messages. It might be easier for you to speakthan type, but what about the person on the other end? They may be unable to listento a 59-second message right now. Also, never send personal information by voicemessage—it is hard to note down. Emojis, GIFs and memes can save the daywhen you find yourself in an embarrassing conversation, or words fail you.

   Try to Understand

   You can always judge a person's mood by their text messages. If the personyou're talking to says "Good night" or "I'm going to take a shower."that's probably not what they're actually going to do, it is just an excuse to stoptalking to you. If someone hesitates for longer than three seconds before saying"Yes", they probably really mean "No". If you receive theseemojis from friends who are older, read them literally (照字面地) (as a smile, a waveor a laugh). For the post-90s and post-00s generation, however, they could be speechlessness.

    What isthe hardest sport in the world? Some people say it's boxing (拳击), because boxing is dangerousand boxers have to be strong and fast. Other people say the hardest sport issoccer.

    However,most people say the hardest sport is the triathlon (三项全能运动). A triathlon is a race thatincludes three sports. First, racers swim. After that they ride bicycles andfinally they run. In the most common triathlon, racers swim 1.5kilometres, bike40 kilometres, and run 10 kilometres. The winner is the person who finishes therace first.

    There isanother kind of triathlon too. It is called the "Ironman Triathlon (铁人三项)". This triathlon is muchlonger. People who finish this triathlon are called "ironmen" or"ironwomen". This is because these people are so strong that theirbodies are just like iron (铁).

    In thepast, there were other races including three sports. However, they didn't usethe word "triathlon". That word was first used to describe a race inCalifornia in 1974.

    Triathlonracers have to train very hard for their races. Many of them swim and run. Alot of people also do things like yoga (瑜伽). They have many different ways to prepare, but they all have thesame goal. They want to be in perfect shape.

    To be anironman or an ironwoman, you have to be strong and smart. You should know howto save energy during the race.

In the eyes of many foreigners, Chinese are the best hosts and the worst guests in the world. They're not really bad guests but because the guest-host relationship in China is much different than in some Western countries it appears they are not nice guests. And Western guests sometimes look rude in the eyes of Chinese guests.  

　　In China guests are almost like gods. Whenever I enter a Chinese person's home there is always fruit on the table for me and someone is quick to bring me a cup of tea or water. In the West generally the guest is not a god. Acting according to the host's way of doing things is usual behaviour for a guest. 

　　My wife's mother is a very kind elderly Chinese lady who doesn't smoke. When I see some of her guests smoking in her house, as a non-smoker I feel unhappy. Usually I want to stop them directly but I must realize that she must not do that. In most North America homes if you are a guest and the hosts are not smokers, you should not smoke in their house. At the very least you could ask "Is it OK if I smoke?" But don't be surprised if they say "No, you can't smoke." In our culture if you smoke in their home you are a bad guest, but if they don't allow you to smoke in their house they are not a rude guest.

　　Guests in China also have special habits. Some Western people may not adapt to these habits very soon. Thankfully my wife is Chinese so whenever we visit a Chinese family she tells me to buy them a gift. However giving a gift to a host is not always necessary in my country. So if you invite international guests to your home don't be too surprised if they don't bring you a gift. 

　　In China you probably won't need to change the guest-host relationship very much because you will probably only be the host and Chinese are naturally very good hosts. If Western hosts invite you to their house, try not to be too surprised if their style of treating you is not what you have expected.

With a habit of drinking coffee on weekends while doing schoolwork, Wu Zibo, a 17-year-old student from Beijing No. 4 High School, wanted to order a cup of Moutai-flavored latte(茅台味拿铁). "I wonder how my father's favorite Chinese liquor(白酒) would taste with my favorite coffee." Wu said.

The collaboration(合作) between Moutai and Luckin Coffee has interested many people. It sold 5.42 million cups and made 100 million yuan just on Sept 4, the first day it came out, China Daily reported.

Moutai has tried many ways in the past few years to be more creative, such as by bringing out Moutai ice cream.

"This creative collaboration lets Moutai make its brand younger." Li Honghui, a marketing director(市场总监) for drinks said. "Through collaborations, brands can share what they need, make the market bigger, and bring more creative things to buyers." added Li.

In 2023 China's collaboration market will grow to over 100 billion(十亿) yuan and may reach 300 billion yuan by 2025. However, wrong collaborations may have undesirable results and even hurt brands.

"The key to making a collaboration work is about how good the products are. The brands should not just pay attention to getting the public excited." said Li.

As a kind of traditional Chinese dress, Ma Mian Qun( horse face skirt) first appeared in the Song Dynasty and grew popular during the Ming Dynasty. The two sides of Ma Mian Qun are pleated(起褶的), and there isa smooth part in the middle, commonly known as " Ma Mian".

Why is it called " Ma Mian"? In fact, " Ma Mian" is a kind of structure(结构) used for protection in the city wall system. However, all the books about Ma Mian Qun only show that the smooth surface without pleats in the middle is called " Ma Mian". But there is no further explanation of how Ma Mian Qun got its name.

Ma Mian Qun is colorful, mostly red and blue. Red means good luck and joy. According to Han customs, women usually wore red skirts during celebrations of festivals. In the Qing dynasty, blue was also common and popular, paired with black and yellow.

Ma Mian Qun has different kinds of patterns with different meanings. For example, dragon and phoenix patterns show the love between a man and a woman or a beautiful marriage. Peony(牡丹) is a symbol of wealth and honor.

Recently, Ma Mian Qun has become a popular form of skirt for Hanfu fans. More and more modern fashion designers find ideas from Ma Mian Oun. For example, some get ideas from the patterns. Some combine(结合) the styles of Ma Mian Qun with T- shirts or blouses, which are more suitable for everyday wear. Even western fashion has been influenced by Ma Mian Qun for many years.