Glossary
FEC - Foreign Exchange Currency, a separate money system for foreigners intended to protect the domestic economy. No longer in use. More info.
guanxi - relationship, connectedness, obligation, “pull”; one’s access to services and ability to grant favors to others.
gong bao ji ding - stir-fried chicken with peanuts and vegetables.
He Bo Sen - Hobson transliterated into Mandarin. He, the surname, had connotations of the word for “river.” Bo Sen meant “broad forest.”
He Laoshi - Teacher He (Hobson).
hutong - alleys and courtyards formed by traditional, single-floor brick homes.
jiao zi - dumpling with meat or vegetable filling; could be boiled, steamed or fried.
Lao Wai - foreigner, outsider; literally, “Uncle Outsider.” Part of the longer rhyme “Lao Wai hen qi guai” (Uncle Outsider very strange).
Linye Daxue - Forestry University. Lin Da for short. Daxue literally meant “big school.” Google Map. Website.
mao - ten percent of a yuan; equivalent to a dime.
qing zhuan - please give me extension …
renminbi - money; literally “people’s money.”
Tai gui le! - “Too expensive!”
waiban - an institution’s liaison for visiting foreign experts. Waibans provided oversight, assisted with paperwork, arranged accommodations, served as tour guides, and were available as general ombudsmen.
waiguoren - foreigner, outsider (non-Chinese).
wei - greeting used when answering the phone.
Wo shi meiguoren - “I am American.”
Wu Dao Kou - name of the local marketplace. No longer exists. Google Map (of former location).
xia hai - independent business; literally, “fall into the sea.”
Xiao Ming - young, wizened superintendent of the Foreign Experts Guesthouse.
yuan - equivalent to the term “dollar”; designated by the symbol ¥. On arrival, $1 US exchanged for ¥8; on departure the exchange rate was closer to $1 US for ¥12. Current exchange rate.
Yi He Yuan - Summer Palace, the lakeside retreat where emperors escaped Beijing’s summer heat.
Youyi Hotel - a government-run hotel for foreigners; “youyi” meant friendship.
