Glossary

Arhat                                         Buddhist saint (luohan in Mandarin)     

Cheongsam               Traditional Chinese women's dress (qipao in Mandarin)

Dharma                                      Buddhist path to enlightenment

Hutong                                      Narrow alley

Laowai                                      Foreigner (old outsider)

Luoha                                Chinese word for arhat

Mah Jong                                   Traditional Chinese board game

Mandala                     Mystical geometric diagram representing the cosmos

Paifang                                      Memorial arch

Pinyi                      Romanization of Chinese characters

Putonghua                                  Mandarin Chinese (normal language)

Qili                                    Mythical creature associated with good luck

Siheyua                             Courtyard house

Sinicized                                    Made Chinese

Stele (stelae)                              Commemorative stone tablet

Tai Ji                            Style of Martial Art

Wushu                                      Martial Arts

Acronyms

CAAC                                        Civil Aviation Authority of China

CCP                                          Chinese Communist Party

CITS                                         China International Travel Service

CTS                                          China Travel Service

KCR                                         Kowloon-Canton Railway

KMT                                  Kuomintang (Guomindang in pinyin) –  Nationalist Party

MTR                                         Mass Transit Railway (subway)

PLA                                          People's Liberation Army

PRC                                          People's Republic of China

PRD                                         Pearl River Delta

PSB                                          Public Security Bureau

RMB                                         Ren Min Bi (People's Money)

ROC                                         Republic of China (Taiwan)

SEZ                                          Special Economic Zone

WHO                                        World Health Organization

WTO                                         World Trade Organization

WWF                                        World Wildlife Foundation

Hotel Abbreviations

SW                                           Swimming Pool

FC                                            Fitness Center

@                                              Internet access in rooms

DA                                            Rooms suitable for disabled people available