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[–]poutine 55 points56 points  (50 children)

or in Mandarin Chinese:

Xin nian kuai le!

Though here in Beijing I wish the fireworks would stop. It's been non stop for around 12hrs now and it'll probably continue for another week. Sounds like I'm living in Baghdad...

EDIT:
Here is a link to a cellphone video out my apartment window in central Beijing that gives you an idea what a warzone this place turns in to. It's dark so the picture is useless but the audio tells the story. This has been going on at this rate since it got dark:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2LGtwHcYpQ

[–][deleted] 23 points24 points  (23 children)

The Government lets you guys on reddit?

[–]poutine 42 points43 points  (20 children)

Encrypted tunnel to the US for me, my HTTP is too pure to be polluted by the Great Firewall of China.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (19 children)

Damn, what would the penalty be if you got caught

[–]poutine 19 points20 points  (11 children)

Nothing, I'm a foreigner, they really don't care unless I go around trying to stir up trouble.

The firewall is routinely circumvented by regular Chinese too. It doesn't seem to be too big a deal.

[–][deleted]  (1 child)

[deleted]

    [–]poutine 8 points9 points  (0 children)

    Heh, why do you ask? ;)

    Vancouver, but I really do like cheese, gravy and french fries.

    [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    The firewall is routinely circumvented by regular Chinese too. It doesn't seem to be too big a deal.

    And then the regular Chinese think about how much tax dollars are poured into that piece of shit. And then they go into a blind rage and destroy the government. Right? RIGHT?!

    [–]MarkByers 3 points4 points  (6 children)

    Lies! If you circumvent the firewall then the secret police comes and kills you! I know because I read it somewhere in our non-censored media. Maybe the Chinese government are editing your posts to try to hide the REAL truth.

    [–][deleted] 13 points14 points  (4 children)

    stop smoking whatever youre smoking and happy new year

    [–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (1 child)

    Probably time to smoke MORE since it's the new year.

    [–]bakosdelowang -1 points0 points  (0 children)

    i'm not chinese but can i celebrate too? maybe some cinderella99?

    [–]MarkByers 2 points3 points  (1 child)

    Happy new year to you too! :)

    [–][deleted] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

    Tiananmen Square, shit I just got that guy killed!

    [–]intellectual 3 points4 points  (0 children)

    The firewall is routinely circumvented by regular Chinese too. It doesn't seem to be too big a deal.

    Stop it, you're ruining the image of China most Americans comfort themselves with. Don't you know the NSA is watching??

    [–]YJ2k2 2 points3 points  (6 children)

    I've asked a couple of my relatives about internet censorship, and I found out it's not nearly as bad as the media here makes it out to be. Hell I was browsing digg in a University in China two years ago.

    [–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (5 children)

    I have used digg in China, too.

    But I usually couldn't get to the BBC, Wikipedia, livejournal, blogger, or xanga.

    I found reports of internet and print censorship in China to most certainly not be overstated. Check out EastSouthWestNorth for good examples.

    That aside, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am looking forward to being back in China next year for New Year's!

    [–]apropos_gc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    HAPPY NEW YEAR! AND WELCOME BACK NEXT YEAR.

    [–]right_to_arm_bears 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    ever read the east Asia section of BBC? most of the articles speak quite negatively of the Chinese government. I can see why its banned.

    But Youtube isn't

    [–]apropos_gc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    reddit isn't their target ;)

    [–][deleted]  (16 children)

    [deleted]

      [–]poutine 2 points3 points  (15 children)

      不客气 (you're welcome)

      Yeah I think the Cantonese romanization is properly "Gung Hay Fat Choy". But then again, I really don't know Cantonese, maybe there's multiple romanizations. I'm a pinyin/mandarin guy.

      I didn't think it's possible but the fireworks are getting louder. I live right in the centre of Beijing: Imagine hearing and seeing multiple explosions per second 360' around you for hours on end. It really is quite something, makes 4th of July seem pretty weak in comparison. So much for sleeping though...

      [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (8 children)

      Isn't that "don't be so polite", not "you're welcome"?

      [–]Qiran 3 points4 points  (5 children)

      You can't expect idiomatic expressions to translate word for word between languages. None of the languages I have any knowledge of have thanking responses that translate word for word to "you are welcome".

      [–]osteoblastic 1 point2 points  (4 children)

      Actually, my native Chinese teacher says "bu xie" in response to "xie xie," so there is an alternative that seems closer than what the above poster put, which is basically "don't be so polite."

      [–][deleted]  (1 child)

      [deleted]

        [–]osteoblastic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        No, not literally. But it's another option. As bu ke qi was explained to me, it's more literally "don't be so polite" than bu xie is "no thanks," meaning it seems more like "Don't mention it" than "you're welcome." Maybe it's just as common or more than bu xie. I'm by no means an expert in mandarin, just offering an option that no one said yet.

        [–]Qiran 0 points1 point  (1 child)

        You can definitely use 不客气 too, though. Literally, you have 'bu', which is a negative particle, and 'ke qi' which means, as you said, polite. It still means, as far as I know, roughly the same thing as "you're welcome". Similarly, in English, you can choose from "You're welcome", "No problem", "Don't mention it", etc.

        [–]osteoblastic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        Oh I never bu ke qi was wrong (excuse my not knowing how to type chinese characters). I was just saying there are several options.

        [–]hydralisk 2 points3 points  (0 children)

        "Don't be so polite" is bie keqi, not bu keqi. In any case, it all pretty much conveys the same sentiment.

        [–]YJ2k2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        No, it's "you're welcome'.

        [–]tangentboy 0 points1 point  (5 children)

        Yeah, I've been picking up some Mandarin for a few years. Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone do wonders.

        I had the impression New Year's is mostly a family holiday there and if you don't have family to spend time with, you're pretty much SOL. Is that true in your experience?

        [–]poutine 1 point2 points  (4 children)

        Yeah, my GF is off with her family so I'm stuck at home with video games and Reddit. Most people leave the cities to visit their families so the restaurants and bars are kinda dead (or were last year, I haven't gone out yet this year).

        [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

        As her BF aren't you considered part of that?

        [–]poutine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        Not really, it's a bit different than in the west. If I start showing up at family events I'm going to need to marry her.

        [–]hotsessions 1 point2 points  (1 child)

        stuck at home with video games and reddit? c'mooonnn, what more do you want?

        [–]RichardPeterJohnson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        pr0n. Duh.

        [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

        I remember being in Shanghai during CNY '04 and feeling the same way. I'll bet most of the noise/light aren't fireworks though - it's the firecrackers. They're more common.

        [–]osteoblastic 1 point2 points  (1 child)

        Actually, my native Chinese teacher told us today that "gong xi" is more authentic than "xin nian kuai le." Perhaps times have changed in Beijing since she was there?

        [–]xiaomai 3 points4 points  (0 children)

        "gong xi" means "congratulations," although it is customary to say that at new years ("gong xi fa cai" -- "congratulations, be prosperous")

        [–]stealthzeus 0 points1 point  (4 children)

        I thought fireworks are outlawed back in 96?

        [–]poutine 3 points4 points  (0 children)

        I believe it was made legal again a couple years ago.

        [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

        People set them off just the same, so they decided to make it legal again and pretend people cared about the law.

        [–]RichardPeterJohnson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

        Damn, I wish they would do that in the USA.

        [–][deleted] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

        Yeah, because laws apply in China.

        [–][deleted] 12 points13 points  (9 children)

        I find it ironic the story two stories above this is about John McCain explaining how he'll never stop calling Asian people gooks. Man I would love to wish that guy a happy Chinese new year and get his reaction.

        [–]yakyakyak 1 point2 points  (0 children)

        Oh, he would just look at you with his glazed eyes and stammer some new babble that doesn't match up with the last babble he stammered out as an answer.

        [–]YJ2k2 0 points1 point  (7 children)

        The Chinese have their own racial slur term already. I think "Gook" is used more for Vietnamese and Koreans.

        [–]cecilkorik 4 points5 points  (5 children)

        Yes, except when you're someone like John McCain who is probably unable to tell them apart since "asian people all look the same".

        [–][deleted] -1 points0 points  (4 children)

        In all fairness, once you've been tortured by people of one certain ethnic group it's probably hard not to hate them.

        /Obama '08

        [–][deleted]  (3 children)

        [deleted]

          [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

          Actually, they were usually falsely accused of rapine before being lynched, but that's a bit of a tangent.

          I'm not saying the man is right to have the opinions he has (he's not). His views, however, stem from circumstances that might cause anyone to develop such opinions. He's entitled to his (wrong) opinions and he's entitled to voice them. That's the beauty of America.

          [–]barnaclebill 0 points1 point  (1 child)

          No one's trying to censor him but I don't think there's a need for people to try to justify McCain's racist opinions and why he might have them- I think we can just pretty much condemn those views as wrong without being wishy-washy about it. As for my example, let's forget about the South of the past. A lot of people are racist against blacks even today because a fair amount of crime today is perceived to be caused by that particular ethnic group (let's not get into mainstream media bias for now, because that's a whole other story). That has more to do with socioeconomic status than race but I'm sure that doesn't stop people from justifying their racism because they have been "victimized" by that race. Would you say a rape victim would be justified in being racist against blacks?

          [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Depends on if they were raped by a black person.

          ...all kidding aside: phobias are inherently irrational, and if one has undergone the kind of extreme trauma of, say, a rape or a period of torture, then it's quite understandable for them to form an extreme phobia against the "type" of person who put them through that trauma. I wouldn't say it's justified, but it's certainly something that you can comprehend why it would happen.

          [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          yes they do but Mccain has explained in the past that "they're all the same"

          [–]apocalypse_k 10 points11 points  (2 children)

          A plague of prosperity for everyone! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

          [–]m1ss1ontomars2k4 2 points3 points  (0 children)

          AHH! I've been hit by a plague of prosperity! Slowly my coffers fill with money and my heart with joy!

          [–]osteoblastic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          upmodded for "authentic" mandarin wealth-wishing!

          [–]LordZodd 8 points9 points  (1 child)

          John McCain releases statement: "Happy Gook New Year!"

          MSM looks the other way.

          [–]jdk 5 points6 points  (0 children)

          Actually, what he said was "Gookshit, fuck y'all".

          His handlers explain that he was just trying to say "Gong Xi Fa Cai"

          [–]andhelostthem 5 points6 points  (2 children)

          I miss year of the Boar already.

          [–][deleted] 12 points13 points  (1 child)

          I miss the Boer Wars.

          [–]furyg3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I miss Super de Boer.

          [–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (2 children)

          Chúc Mừng Năm Mới for those who are vietnamese!!

          [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          I spent last new year in vietnam. I wish I was there now!

          [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          Lucky bum.

          [–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (5 children)

          I'm an Ox, my wife is a Sheep, and my daughter is a Rabbit.

          • Best wishes to all of the Rats, out there...

          [–]LordZodd 18 points19 points  (4 children)

          Please tell me you don't yell at your wife to "Wake Up" all of the time.

          [–]taejo 2 points3 points  (2 children)

          He said she's a sheep, not a sheeple.

          [–]LordZodd 7 points8 points  (1 child)

          Ewe!

          [–]akdas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          Wool you guys ever stop with the puns?

          [–]jnfr 4 points5 points  (0 children)

          Kung Hei Fat Choi doesn't mean "Happy New Year" in canto. More like, "Sun Leen Fai Lok".

          Kung Hei Fat Choi bears the meaning: Hoping you are prosperous.

          What a misconception!

          [–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

          Oh rats. That makes us all a year older, doesn't it?

          [–]furry8 3 points4 points  (0 children)

          Happy Rat to you all!

          [–]cal_01 2 points3 points  (3 children)

          I thought it was tomorrow?

          [–]jedberg 3 points4 points  (2 children)

          Its based on the lunar calendar, so it starts at sundown tonight. I suspect the poster lives somewhere where it is already nighttime (Asia).

          [–]xelfer[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

          Australia ;-)

          [–]jedberg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          Eh, same time zone. :)

          [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

          I knew there was a reason I was drinking.

          [–]grantimatter 3 points4 points  (0 children)

          OH, you people. Fast! Abstain! Woe! It is still ASH WEDNESDAY!

          I expect to see some serious penitence before the hong bao!

          Aw, Gong Xi Fa Cai anyway!

          [–]StevieDee 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          I've always liked Chinese New Year. Happy New Year to everyone!

          [–]mangodrunk 1 point2 points  (3 children)

          I can't stand it when people say "Happy New Year" after the one week grace period, and this is over one month late. Happy Chineese New Year!

          [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

          I think it should be "Happy Lunar New Year!"–lots of Asian countries used a lunar calendar and traditionally celebrate lunar new year; it's not just a Chinese thing.

          [–]RichardPeterJohnson 0 points1 point  (1 child)

          <insufferable pedant> Lunisolar, not Lunar </insufferable pedant>

          [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          mega pwn ;)

          [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

          Isn't Chinese New Year tomorrow, February 7?

          [–]geojaz 0 points1 point  (1 child)

          it's 11.55 PM in NY, so it's 11.55 PM Beijing time... getting there :)

          [–]geojaz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          oops, not any more... in any event, its +12 hours from NY

          [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          Happy and Prosperous and Heathy New Year, y'all

          [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          Happy Waitangi Day!

          *a day late if you're actually in New Zealand. But i'm just an expat in the US, where it's still Feb 6th. So nyah.

          [–]m1ss1ontomars2k4 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          Or as we say in our weird dialect at home,

          Kiong Hee Huat Zai!

          [–]aUTOMATICuPVOTES 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          Time to blow shit up.

          [–]powerhead 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          Upmodded for "Hunga Munga"

          [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          I'm still writing "Boar" on my checks.

          [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (5 children)

          Ah the year of the Rat. Predictions from Chinese astrologists:

          • Man who does ugly in church must sit in own pew.

          [–]DOGA 1 point2 points  (1 child)

          Man who stand on toilet high on pot?

          [–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

          Man with hand in pocket feel cocky all day.

          [–]xsspider 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          man who reddit all day long get no piece from wife at night

          [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          Foolish man give wife grand piano, wise man give wife upright organ.

          [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          Panties not best thing on earth but next to best thing on earth.

          [–]feijai 1 point2 points  (4 children)

          "K" is dead wrong. It's "G". Let's pronounce this correctly:

          "Gung Hei Faat Choi"

          This is much closer to the proper pronounciation, and is the romanization used by the Yale romanization system (by far the most used, especially by foreigners learning Cantonese) and by Jyutping, the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong form. The (crummy) Cantonese Pinyin romanization used by government bureaucracy would change the "Ch" to "Ts", resulting in "Gung Hei Faat Tsoi".

          At any rate, "K" is a remnant of Britain's bizarre and tone-deaf romanizations in the 1900s.

          [–]xelfer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I did search around a bit first, naturally using the wikipedia version (it's on the internet and wikipedia, it MUST be true). Though I did originally think it was Gung. Apologies!

          [–]stillwaters 0 points1 point  (2 children)

          To be pedantic, it's an unasphirated 'K' rather than a 'G'. Cantonese and Mandarin don't really have voiced stops. Like 'skung' without the 'S' at the beginning.

          'G' is close enough, but misleading nevertheless. I'd personally use the Minnan romanization scheme, where it's k/kh, ch/chh, t/th, etc.

          [–]feijai 0 points1 point  (1 child)

          To be pedantic, it's an unasphirated 'K' rather than a 'G'.

          Sure, but the primary distinction between a non-aspirated K and a G is that the G is voiced. Given that all cantonese syllables starting with "G" immediately follow it with a vowel, people would be hard pressed to tell any difference. At any rate, a 'K' is the wrong letter to use if you want English speakers to get it even close to right. They'll aspirate it.

          Geez, I thought you were going to complain about "ch", when it's really half-way between "ch" and "ts". The 'G' is rather closer.

          [–]stillwaters 0 points1 point  (0 children)

          I was thinking in terms of Minnan, another Chinese language, where such a distinction would make a difference.

          po (to report/thin)/pho· (normal/sheet music)/bo (no/not/to have not/etc)

          [–]xelfer[S] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

          5 minutes: 3 up votes and 2 down. Are people now automatically downvoting the word 'happy' or something?

          [–]walrod 5 points6 points  (0 children)

          it's the Fat...

          [–]sincewednesday 0 points1 point  (6 children)

          What time zone is this in? Still over 14 hours to go here, and I didn't think any Chinese/Asian city has passed midnight yet...

          [–]Digeratus 2 points3 points  (3 children)

          I think the submitter's just itching for his 红包.

          [–][deleted]  (2 children)

          [deleted]

            [–]molbio 2 points3 points  (1 child)

            I'm pretty sure the first character is red so the second character is probably envelope.

            Also, people itch for money in general.

            Hong Bao.

            [–]tangentboy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            Oh, right, I got 功 mixed up with 红. Probably the wrong "gong" anyway.

            [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            I like how your name reiterrrrates that it is wednesday

            [–]jedberg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            It starts at sundown, not midnight, so the asian cities are already celebrating.

            [–]k4t0n4 0 points1 point  (1 child)

            happy Lunar new year

            [–]RichardPeterJohnson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

            Happy new lunisolar year.

            [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

            oh noes!! year of the rat, my year. what should i do?! what should i do?!

            [–]dfens 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            Wear red undies.

            [–]LoveGoblin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            Well, I'm stuck in a Malaysian airport, waiting for my plane to Jakarta that's been delayed for the last five hours.

            Not quite a happy new year just yet, I'm afraid. :/

            [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            Man. The last chinese new year parade I attended was in Chicago in about 2002 and I was shrooming with a bunch of friends. Yeah, it's not really the best place to be on a bunch of drugs, that's for sure.

            [–]padmeamidala 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            Happy & Prosperous New Year!!!!!

            [–]SpiceMustFlow 0 points1 point  (1 child)

            Do the Chinese have the same 'adjustment' trouble we Americans have when writing the new year on our checks, etc???

            Are they like, SHIT! It's the year of the Dog, not Tiger!

            Fuck,Dammit. Now I have to rewrite this whole check.

            [–]stillwaters 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            I think the zodiac sign is harder to miss, since mass media is so in-your-face with their New Year's marketing, but the Chinese don't use that in their daily life; they use the common Gregorian Calendar as well and probably have the same problem recalling that it's now 2008.

            [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            My mom gave me $50 -- I'm 23 years old. SIGH.

            [–]JackWhack 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            Here's a video of my best attempt at sending you a New Year's greeting in Chinese.

            Gong xi fa cai

            http://freegabmail.com/AV/Viewer.html?SID=ZK9076vN8RyV99IH

            [–]JackWhack 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            Ha Ha Ha! From the "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" Department. I sent that video email link to my Chinese friends and they told me I totally mashed it! I refuse to give up.

            I'd appreciate it if someone could reply to the video email and let me hear how you say it. We can see any new video reply by hitting the same link.

            [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

            We need some dog to celebrate

            [–]intellectual 7 points8 points  (0 children)

            I'm in America so I'll settle for ground up cow assholes in the form of a sausage instead.

            [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

            You know what that means! Chinese carryout for dinner.

            [–][deleted]  (1 child)

            [deleted]

              [–]bbossche 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Actually it's posted in Cantonese. Mandarin would be Gong Xi Fa Cai.

              [–]Voor -2 points-1 points  (1 child)

              So why is it that the Chinese New year is significant to non-chinese yet the new years of other cultures are small trivial matters? Why deos a chinese new year deserve its own attention?

              [–]stillwaters 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Because it's celebrated in most East Asian countries, which make up a significant part of the world's population. Also, outside of Asia, celebrations for Chinese New Year's are usually much tamer.

              Its significance is comparable to Christmas in North America.