Year of the Boar

• Why This Film was Worth It: Together is a beautifully made film for kids over eight. Its classic set-up pits the Dad's simple past against the son's marketable talent (Beware a wonderful, but heart-wrenching ending). The film is subtitled, but between gorgeous music and a child who doesn't speak very much, the pictures do most of the storytelling making it a good choice for a first foreign film. We watched as a family, and only had to jump in a few times - once to explain why the boy changed violin teachers and once to explain a plot twist in the final scene.
  
• Red Flags: Xioachun becomes friends with Lili, a woman who lives in the next apartment. The boy witnesses the ups and downs of Lili's love life and clearly has a crush on her. It's not clear what kind of job she has (there is vague hint she is a prostitute), but she cares about Xioachun, and guides him to the correct direction when he becomes confused.
  
• COOL FACT: The professor is played by the film's director, Chen Kaige and the character of Lili is played by his real-life wife.
  

• Music as a Character: Ask the kids if the film would have worked as well if the child was a prodigy in a field other than music; the violin allows the audience to get right into the heart of characters, it seems to be singing their feelings.
  
• Conversation Starter: The characters in Together are caught between an old and a new China. If the father stands for tradition, and the boy has the chance to become famous and potentially wealthy in the newer version of that nation, what do you think the filmmaker is trying to say about the contrast between the ancient and modern values of his country?
  

Want to know what we learned from taking this adventure with our kids? Here are our buttery bits of wisdom:

• What Worked for Us: We started our adventure with a meal at the Empress Pavilion; we had fun figuring out how to order, what the dishes were, and mimicking the customs of the locals. With a few tips from a savvy friend, we knew what dishes were kid-friendly. We only wanted to spend a few hours, so concentrated our shopping at West Plaza, dipping back across Hill Street to visit Chung King Alley. This is all doable in two hours - dim sum makes for a quick meal.
  
• Tips for viewing the parade on Saturday, February 24. Parade runs between 2:00 and 5:00, but the festival begin at 10:00. The area will be crowded, so there is shuttle parking from Dodger Stadium. Kids can usually see the Golden Dragon itself before the parade, near CBS Restaurant. Grandstand tickets are available for $27 each. Click on our map link for directions.
  
• Find your Child's Lunar Birth Year: Growing up in Los Angeles with a diverse posse of friends, our kids know their their lunar birth year -- we have two roosters, and two boars between us. By reading this chart, you can tell under which sign your child's birthday falls.
  
• Parking - There are plenty of parking lots on Broadway and on Hill. Be warned that on parade day, the area will be packed and traffic will be diverted to Dodger Stadium.
  
• Best Time to Visit - The community is currently decked out for the New Year, so it's quite festive. Normally, we do this trip on a school day-off and have the place to ourselves.
  
• The Legend Behind the Festival: Ancient myths tell of an angry beast who comes down from the hills and slips into homes to eat humans. The Chinese would begin the year by making loud noises (firecrackers) and bright colors (red) in order to scare away the monster.
• How the Holiday is Celebrated: Everyone comes home to be with their family for a New Year's feast; red packets, with an even amount of cash, are given to children who are meant to spend the money on something sweet. Nien Gao is a traditional sweet rice cake which is eaten on the holiday - the idea being that the sticky cake will keep the family together. Other sweet treats (such as melon seeds, candied lotus seeds and coconut) are customary to insure a happy new year. Holiday festivities last for fifteen days until either the Lantern Festival, or a Chinese Valentine's Day.
  

Want to learn more about the great shops in Chinatown? Here are our tips:

• Where to eat: The Empress Pavilion (988 N. Hill) is a classic dim-sum house, where carts roll by and diners choose what to eat. Here's what we like: sticky rice, pork dumpling shiu mai, shrimp har gow, potstickers, steamed bbq pork bun and deep fried sesame balls with sweet bean paste. CBS Seafood (700 Spring) also has great dim sum. The Phoenix Bakery is near to the Empress (969 Broadway) and a fine place for post dim-sum treats (sticky bow tie pastries). Sam Woo (727 Broadway) is also a great place for roast duck and bbq pork.
  
• Where to shop:  Walk south from the Empress to the large plaza full of shops called West Plaza, located between Broadway and Hill. The kids can wander into the traditional shops and find Chinese pajamas and slippers, Chinese new year decorations (including poppers), folding fans and inexpensive magic tricks. Also, caddy-corner from the Empress, on the second floor of the mall, is a good spot for Chinese slippers and purses. Adults will love Realm, a modern housewares store on the north side of the plaza - where more contemporary shops seem to be taking over from the old.
• Where to find the art: On Chung King Road, west of the 900 block of North Hill Street, you'll find at least fifteen galleries that have cropped up over the last seven years, taking up residence in the old shops on this picturesque and cozy street. Will the influx of new businesses mean the end of Chinatown as we know it, or the rebirth of a historic district? Check it out for yourselves on March 17, when all the galleries will stay open until 8:00 pm; kids are welcome.

• We highly recommend a book to read in conjunction with your trip to Chinatown: In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord is a fantastic tale about a little girl who comes from China to live in Brooklyn in 1947, just as Jackie Robinson is becoming a national hero. A nice way to tie in the fact that this is Black History Month.