Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Jiuba
Bar or pub.
Lamaism
The esoteric Tibetan and Mongolian branch of Buddhism, influenced by local shamanist and animist be-
liefs.
Laowai
A slang term for foreigner.
Ling
Tomb.
Little Red Book
A selection of “Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong”, produced in 1966 as a philosophical
treatise for Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution.
Lu
Street.
Luohan
Buddhist disciple.
Maitreya Buddha
The Buddha of the future, at present awaiting rebirth.
Mandala
Mystic diagram which forms an important part of Buddhist iconography, especially in Tibet; they usually
depict deities and are stared at as an aid to meditation.
Men
Gate/door.
Miao
Temple.
Middle Kingdom
A literal translation of the Chinese words for China.
Nan
South.
Pagoda
Tower with distinctively tapering structure.
Palanquin
A covered sedan chair, used by the emperor.
Peking
The old English term for Beijing.
Pinyin
The official system of transliterating Chinese script into Roman characters.
PLA
The People's Liberation Army, the official name of the Communist military forces since 1949.
PSB
Public Security Bureau, the branch of China's police force which deals directly with foreigners.
Putonghua
Mandarin Chinese; literally “Common Language”.
Qiao
Bridge.
Qipao
Long, narrow dress slit up the thigh.
Red Guards
The unruly factional forces unleashed by Mao during the Cultural Revolution to find and destroy bru-
tally any “reactionaries” among the populace.
Renmin
The people.
Renminbi
The official term for the Chinese currency, literally, “people's money”.
RMB
Renminbi. Another name for Chinese currency literally meaning “the people's money”.
Si
Temple, usually Buddhist.
Siheyuan
Traditional courtyard house.
Spirit wall
Wall behind the main gateway to a house, designed to thwart evil spirits, which, it was believed, could
move only in straight lines.
Spirit Way
The straight road leading to a tomb, lined with guardian figures.
Stele
Freestanding stone tablet carved with text.
Stupa
Multitiered tower associated with Buddhist temples; usually contains sacred objects.
Ta
Tower or pagoda.
