Podcasts about beijinger

Finally, a Beijinger guest is here! Can you understand Mandarin with a Beijing accent? Mandarin accent is fun, our guest will join us to explore the changes in Beijing, discuss the unique charm of Beijing dialect, and share his experiences living abroad. Beijing dialect, as a branch of Chinese dialects, is known for its rich and colorful expressions and unique phonetic features, presenting both intrigue and challenge. Join us as we delve into the charm of Beijing dialect! 今天的节目我们请到了一位地道的北京人，我们的主题是“北京话普通话你听得懂吗？”我们的嘉宾将和我们一同探讨北京这座城市的变迁，畅谈北京话的独特魅力，以及他在国外的生活经历。北京话是中国方言中的一支，其丰富多彩的表达方式和独特的语音特点充满了趣味和挑战，我们将深入探索北京话的魅力所在！

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Twilight in Beijing: A Hotpot Friendship Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/twilight-in-beijing-a-hotpot-friendship Story Transcript:Zh: 在这个充满活力的暮色下，夜晚的北京变得更加生动。人来人往的巷子里，满街的热闹声，似乎在说，"欢迎来到北京。"En: Under the vibrant twilight, the night in Beijing became even more colorful. With bustling alleys and lively streets, it seemed to be saying, "Welcome to Beijing."Zh: 在大街小巷之间，就在一家热气腾腾的火锅店里，坐着两个朋友，李华和王伟。En: Among the bustling streets and alleys, sat two friends, Li Hua and Wang Wei, in a steaming hotpot restaurant.Zh: 李华是一个土生土长的北京人，他骨子里流着北京的热血与激情。而王伟则是一个外地人，来北京工作不久，他带着满心的好奇和期待走进了这座大城。En: Li Hua, a born and bred Beijinger, had the fiery blood and passion of Beijing running through his veins. Wang Wei, on the other hand, was a newcomer from another city working in Beijing, filled with curiosity and anticipation as he entered this bustling metropolis.Zh: 李华拉着王伟走进火锅店，王伟虽然有些紧张，但表面上依然镇定自若，他不想让李华看出他使用筷子吃火锅的不自在。En: Pulling Wang Wei into the hotpot restaurant, although a bit nervous, he managed to keep a calm facade, not wanting Li Hua to notice his discomfort using chopsticks to eat hotpot.Zh: "你以前吃过火锅吗，王伟？" 李华点点火锅里的菜，一脸的期待。En: "Have you had hotpot before, Wang Wei?" Li Hua asked, pointing at the dishes in the hotpot, his face full of anticipation.Zh: "嗯，几次吧。" 王伟试图保持淡定，他向来都不善于承认失败。En: "Well, a few times," Wang Wei tried to maintain composure, as he was not one to easily admit defeat.Zh: 然而，不久后，李华看到了王伟的纠结。他试图夹起一块肉放进火锅，但总是失败，甚至还不小心把肉扔到了桌子上。李华看到后忍不住大笑，而王伟则满脸尴尬。En: However, shortly after, Li Hua noticed Wang Wei's struggle. Trying to pick up a piece of meat to put in the hotpot, he kept failing, accidentally even dropping the meat on the table. Unable to hold back, Li Hua burst into laughter, while Wang Wei felt embarrassed.Zh: 他看向李华，傻笑一下说，"我知道我很笨手笨脚，但至少我试过了，不是吗？"En: Looking at Li Hua, he sheepishly said, "I know I'm clumsy, but at least I tried, right?"Zh: 李华笑着说，"那就继续试，王伟。没人会嘲笑你的。"李华的表情严肃起来，他俯身帮王伟把桌子上的肉捡起来，然后耐心地教他如何使用筷子。En: Li Hua laughed and said, "Keep trying, Wang Wei. No one will laugh at you." His expression turned serious as he leaned in to help Wang Wei pick up the fallen meat from the table, patiently teaching him how to use the chopsticks.Zh: 王伟一开始并不习惯，但他并没有放弃。灯光下，他的眼神凝重而认真。在李华的悉心指导下，他终于成功地用筷子夹起一块肉，放进了火锅。En: Initially uncomfortable, Wang Wei did not give up. Under the gentle guidance of Li Hua, he finally managed to pick up a piece of meat with the chopsticks and put it into the hotpot.Zh: 他扬起了嘴角，那是真诚地，来自心底的笑容。他看向李华，说，"谢谢你，李华。"En: A genuine smile spread across his face, coming from the bottom of his heart. Looking at Li Hua, he said, "Thank you, Li Hua."Zh: 他们两人坐在火锅店里，享受着这份来自北京的温暖。这一夜，他们的友谊变得更加深厚。En: They sat in the hotpot restaurant, savoring the warmth from Beijing. That night, their friendship grew deeper.Zh: 在故事的结尾，我们看到了别致的开始，带着微笑与希望的结束。政策在努力，友情在升温，一切都在变好。这就是生活，充满起伏，充满希望。En: At the end of the story, we witness a unique beginning and a hopeful ending. Efforts were being made, friendships were warming up, and everything was getting better. This is life, full of ups and downs, full of hope. Vocabulary Words:night: 夜晚streets: 大街alleys: 巷子friends: 朋友restaurant: 餐厅Beijing: 北京hotpot: 火锅blood: 热血passion: 激情curiosity: 好奇anticipation: 期待nervous: 紧张chopsticks: 筷子meat: 肉laughter: 大笑clumsy: 笨手笨脚genuine: 真诚warmth: 温暖friendship: 友谊efforts: 努力warming up: 升温better: 变好ups and downs: 起伏hope: 希望beginning: 开始ending: 结束serous: 严肃guidance: 指导smile: 微笑

Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. (Rutgers University Press, 2023) examines how contemporary Chinese diasporic narratives address the existential loss of home for immigrant communities at a time of global precarity and amid rising Sino-US tensions. Focusing on cultural productions of the Chinese diaspora from the 1990s to the present -- including novels by the Sinophone writers Yan Geling (The Criminal Lu Yanshi), Shi Yu (New York Lover), Chen Qian (Listen to the Caged Bird Sing), and Rong Rong (Notes of a Couple), as well as by the Anglophone writer Ha Jin (A Free Life; A Map of Betrayal), selected TV shows (Beijinger in New York; The Way We Were), and online literature – Dr. Melody Yunzi Li argues that the characters in these stories create multilayered maps that transcend the territorial boundaries that make finding a home in a foreign land a seemingly impossible task. In doing so, these “maps” outline a transpacific landscape that reflects the psycho-geography of homemaking for diasporic communities. Intersecting with and bridging Sinophone studies, Chinese American studies, and diaspora studies and drawing on theories of literary cartography, Transpacific Cartographies demonstrates how these “maps” offer their readers different paths for finding a sense of home no matter where they are. Dr. Melody Yunzi Li is an assistant professor of Chinese Studies in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of Houston. Her research interests include Asian diaspora literature, modern Chinese literature and culture, migration studies, translation studies, cultural identities and performance studies. She is the author of Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2023) and the co-editor of Remapping the Homeland: Affective Geographies and Cultures of the Chinese Diaspora. (London: Palgrave McMillan, 2022). She has published in various journals including Pacific Coast Philology, Telos and others. Besides her specialty in Chinese literature, Dr. Li is also a Chinese dancer and translator. Linshan Jiang is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke University. She received her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she also obtained a Ph.D. emphasis in Translation Studies. Her research interests include modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. (Rutgers University Press, 2023) examines how contemporary Chinese diasporic narratives address the existential loss of home for immigrant communities at a time of global precarity and amid rising Sino-US tensions. Focusing on cultural productions of the Chinese diaspora from the 1990s to the present -- including novels by the Sinophone writers Yan Geling (The Criminal Lu Yanshi), Shi Yu (New York Lover), Chen Qian (Listen to the Caged Bird Sing), and Rong Rong (Notes of a Couple), as well as by the Anglophone writer Ha Jin (A Free Life; A Map of Betrayal), selected TV shows (Beijinger in New York; The Way We Were), and online literature – Dr. Melody Yunzi Li argues that the characters in these stories create multilayered maps that transcend the territorial boundaries that make finding a home in a foreign land a seemingly impossible task. In doing so, these “maps” outline a transpacific landscape that reflects the psycho-geography of homemaking for diasporic communities. Intersecting with and bridging Sinophone studies, Chinese American studies, and diaspora studies and drawing on theories of literary cartography, Transpacific Cartographies demonstrates how these “maps” offer their readers different paths for finding a sense of home no matter where they are. Dr. Melody Yunzi Li is an assistant professor of Chinese Studies in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of Houston. Her research interests include Asian diaspora literature, modern Chinese literature and culture, migration studies, translation studies, cultural identities and performance studies. She is the author of Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2023) and the co-editor of Remapping the Homeland: Affective Geographies and Cultures of the Chinese Diaspora. (London: Palgrave McMillan, 2022). She has published in various journals including Pacific Coast Philology, Telos and others. Besides her specialty in Chinese literature, Dr. Li is also a Chinese dancer and translator. Linshan Jiang is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke University. She received her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she also obtained a Ph.D. emphasis in Translation Studies. Her research interests include modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. (Rutgers University Press, 2023) examines how contemporary Chinese diasporic narratives address the existential loss of home for immigrant communities at a time of global precarity and amid rising Sino-US tensions. Focusing on cultural productions of the Chinese diaspora from the 1990s to the present -- including novels by the Sinophone writers Yan Geling (The Criminal Lu Yanshi), Shi Yu (New York Lover), Chen Qian (Listen to the Caged Bird Sing), and Rong Rong (Notes of a Couple), as well as by the Anglophone writer Ha Jin (A Free Life; A Map of Betrayal), selected TV shows (Beijinger in New York; The Way We Were), and online literature – Dr. Melody Yunzi Li argues that the characters in these stories create multilayered maps that transcend the territorial boundaries that make finding a home in a foreign land a seemingly impossible task. In doing so, these “maps” outline a transpacific landscape that reflects the psycho-geography of homemaking for diasporic communities. Intersecting with and bridging Sinophone studies, Chinese American studies, and diaspora studies and drawing on theories of literary cartography, Transpacific Cartographies demonstrates how these “maps” offer their readers different paths for finding a sense of home no matter where they are. Dr. Melody Yunzi Li is an assistant professor of Chinese Studies in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of Houston. Her research interests include Asian diaspora literature, modern Chinese literature and culture, migration studies, translation studies, cultural identities and performance studies. She is the author of Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2023) and the co-editor of Remapping the Homeland: Affective Geographies and Cultures of the Chinese Diaspora. (London: Palgrave McMillan, 2022). She has published in various journals including Pacific Coast Philology, Telos and others. Besides her specialty in Chinese literature, Dr. Li is also a Chinese dancer and translator. Linshan Jiang is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke University. She received her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she also obtained a Ph.D. emphasis in Translation Studies. Her research interests include modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. (Rutgers University Press, 2023) examines how contemporary Chinese diasporic narratives address the existential loss of home for immigrant communities at a time of global precarity and amid rising Sino-US tensions. Focusing on cultural productions of the Chinese diaspora from the 1990s to the present -- including novels by the Sinophone writers Yan Geling (The Criminal Lu Yanshi), Shi Yu (New York Lover), Chen Qian (Listen to the Caged Bird Sing), and Rong Rong (Notes of a Couple), as well as by the Anglophone writer Ha Jin (A Free Life; A Map of Betrayal), selected TV shows (Beijinger in New York; The Way We Were), and online literature – Dr. Melody Yunzi Li argues that the characters in these stories create multilayered maps that transcend the territorial boundaries that make finding a home in a foreign land a seemingly impossible task. In doing so, these “maps” outline a transpacific landscape that reflects the psycho-geography of homemaking for diasporic communities. Intersecting with and bridging Sinophone studies, Chinese American studies, and diaspora studies and drawing on theories of literary cartography, Transpacific Cartographies demonstrates how these “maps” offer their readers different paths for finding a sense of home no matter where they are. Dr. Melody Yunzi Li is an assistant professor of Chinese Studies in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of Houston. Her research interests include Asian diaspora literature, modern Chinese literature and culture, migration studies, translation studies, cultural identities and performance studies. She is the author of Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2023) and the co-editor of Remapping the Homeland: Affective Geographies and Cultures of the Chinese Diaspora. (London: Palgrave McMillan, 2022). She has published in various journals including Pacific Coast Philology, Telos and others. Besides her specialty in Chinese literature, Dr. Li is also a Chinese dancer and translator. Linshan Jiang is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke University. She received her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she also obtained a Ph.D. emphasis in Translation Studies. Her research interests include modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. (Rutgers University Press, 2023) examines how contemporary Chinese diasporic narratives address the existential loss of home for immigrant communities at a time of global precarity and amid rising Sino-US tensions. Focusing on cultural productions of the Chinese diaspora from the 1990s to the present -- including novels by the Sinophone writers Yan Geling (The Criminal Lu Yanshi), Shi Yu (New York Lover), Chen Qian (Listen to the Caged Bird Sing), and Rong Rong (Notes of a Couple), as well as by the Anglophone writer Ha Jin (A Free Life; A Map of Betrayal), selected TV shows (Beijinger in New York; The Way We Were), and online literature – Dr. Melody Yunzi Li argues that the characters in these stories create multilayered maps that transcend the territorial boundaries that make finding a home in a foreign land a seemingly impossible task. In doing so, these “maps” outline a transpacific landscape that reflects the psycho-geography of homemaking for diasporic communities. Intersecting with and bridging Sinophone studies, Chinese American studies, and diaspora studies and drawing on theories of literary cartography, Transpacific Cartographies demonstrates how these “maps” offer their readers different paths for finding a sense of home no matter where they are. Dr. Melody Yunzi Li is an assistant professor of Chinese Studies in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of Houston. Her research interests include Asian diaspora literature, modern Chinese literature and culture, migration studies, translation studies, cultural identities and performance studies. She is the author of Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2023) and the co-editor of Remapping the Homeland: Affective Geographies and Cultures of the Chinese Diaspora. (London: Palgrave McMillan, 2022). She has published in various journals including Pacific Coast Philology, Telos and others. Besides her specialty in Chinese literature, Dr. Li is also a Chinese dancer and translator. Linshan Jiang is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke University. She received her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she also obtained a Ph.D. emphasis in Translation Studies. Her research interests include modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-american-studies

Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. (Rutgers University Press, 2023) examines how contemporary Chinese diasporic narratives address the existential loss of home for immigrant communities at a time of global precarity and amid rising Sino-US tensions. Focusing on cultural productions of the Chinese diaspora from the 1990s to the present -- including novels by the Sinophone writers Yan Geling (The Criminal Lu Yanshi), Shi Yu (New York Lover), Chen Qian (Listen to the Caged Bird Sing), and Rong Rong (Notes of a Couple), as well as by the Anglophone writer Ha Jin (A Free Life; A Map of Betrayal), selected TV shows (Beijinger in New York; The Way We Were), and online literature – Dr. Melody Yunzi Li argues that the characters in these stories create multilayered maps that transcend the territorial boundaries that make finding a home in a foreign land a seemingly impossible task. In doing so, these “maps” outline a transpacific landscape that reflects the psycho-geography of homemaking for diasporic communities. Intersecting with and bridging Sinophone studies, Chinese American studies, and diaspora studies and drawing on theories of literary cartography, Transpacific Cartographies demonstrates how these “maps” offer their readers different paths for finding a sense of home no matter where they are. Dr. Melody Yunzi Li is an assistant professor of Chinese Studies in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of Houston. Her research interests include Asian diaspora literature, modern Chinese literature and culture, migration studies, translation studies, cultural identities and performance studies. She is the author of Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2023) and the co-editor of Remapping the Homeland: Affective Geographies and Cultures of the Chinese Diaspora. (London: Palgrave McMillan, 2022). She has published in various journals including Pacific Coast Philology, Telos and others. Besides her specialty in Chinese literature, Dr. Li is also a Chinese dancer and translator. Linshan Jiang is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke University. She received her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she also obtained a Ph.D. emphasis in Translation Studies. Her research interests include modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Unexpected Delights at Beijing's Number One Building Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/unexpected-delights-at-beijings-number-one-building Story Transcript:Zh: 在北京的一家老北京大饭店，又名“京城第一楼”，正对着天安门。这里的菜品名字奇特，味道不可言喻，令人总是惊喜连连。这个晚上，张伟带着他的约会对象刘英，准备在这享受一顿丰盛的晚餐。En: At a famous old Beijing restaurant in Beijing, known as Beijing's Number One Building, facing Tiananmen Square, the dishes here have unique names and indescribable flavors, always pleasantly surprising. On this evening, Zhang Wei brought his date, Liu Ying, to enjoy a sumptuous dinner here.Zh: 张伟，一个外地来京的年轻人，一直对北京的文化充满了好奇。他心情紧张又期待。他曾听说，只有那相当流利的普通话才能真正点出京城第一楼所有菜品的韵味，所以他花了大量的时间，尽可能地改善自己的普通话。他希望能让刘英喜欢上自己。En: Zhang Wei, a young man from out of town who has always been curious about Beijing's culture, was feeling nervous yet excited. He had heard that only fluent Mandarin could truly bring out the charm of all the dishes at Beijing's Number One Building, so he spent a lot of time improving his Mandarin as much as possible. He hoped to make Liu Ying like him.Zh: 刘英是土生土长的北京人，她爱好京城的一草一木。她看着张伟那一副紧张而认真的模样，心里又是感动又是好笑。En: Liu Ying, a native Beijinger, loves every aspect of the city. She looked at Zhang Wei's nervous yet earnest demeanor, feeling touched and amused at the same time.Zh: 青砖小瓦的老北京楼房下，刘英和张伟找了个角落坐下，身旁摆满了各种旧时物件，王杰是他们的服务员，面带微笑，手持菜单走过来。En: Under the old Beijing building with blue bricks and small tiles, Liu Ying and Zhang Wei found a corner to sit down, surrounded by various old objects. Wang Jie was their waiter, smiling as he approached with the menu.Zh: 张伟接过菜单，满怀信心地说：“我们要一份炸酱面，一份烤鸭……”他用他至今为止最完美的普通话，认真点着菜。然而，当他想点“拔丝地瓜”的时候，却一时紧张，发音错误，变成了“拔丝毛驴”。En: Taking the menu confidently, Zhang Wei said, 'We'll have a plate of fried noodles, a Peking duck...' using his most flawless Mandarin to carefully order the dishes. However, when he wanted to order 'sweet potato in syrup', he hesitated and pronounced it incorrectly as 'syrup donkey'.Zh: 王杰一愣，刘英却笑出了声，整个饭店的人都回头看向他们。张伟感到脸颊火辣辣的，无地自容。En: Wang Jie was taken aback, but Liu Ying burst out laughing, drawing attention from everyone in the restaurant. Zhang Wei felt his face burning with embarrassment.Zh: 然而，接下来发生的事让张伟完全惊呆。王杰笑着说：“拔丝毛驴，确实是我们店里的一道菜。”说完，他转身就去了。原来“拔丝毛驴”真的是菜品之一，只不过是间餐厅的一道特色创意菜，将刀豆精心烹煮后，做成了形似“毛驴”的模样，再裹上糖霜。En: However, what happened next completely stunned Zhang Wei. Wang Jie smiled and said, 'Syrup donkey is indeed one of our dishes.' With that, he turned and left. It turned out that 'syrup donkey' was actually a dish, a creative specialty of the restaurant. The dish, resembling a donkey, was made by carefully cooking knife beans and coating them with sugar.Zh: 张伟一瞬间明白，刘英肯定认为他是故意的。他满脸通红地向刘英解释：“我真的不知道这是菜名...我是想点拔丝地瓜的。”刘英瞪大了眼睛，然后忍不住笑出了声。她说：“我知道。我觉得这个是你的一种用心，我很感动。”En: In a moment of realization, Zhang Wei understood that Liu Ying must have thought he did it on purpose. Blushing, he explained to Liu Ying, 'I really didn't know that was the dish name... I meant to order sweet potato in syrup.' Liu Ying widened her eyes, then couldn't help but burst into laughter. She said, 'I knew. I think it shows your thoughtfulness, and that's touching.'Zh: 张伟松了口气，两人互视而笑。尽管还有些尴尬，但更多的是释然。窗外的夜晚静悄悄的，张伟明白，这场晚餐，没有因为一个错误而变得尴尬，反而变得更有意思。这也许就是他和刘英间令人期待的开始。En: Zhang Wei breathed a sigh of relief as they shared a smile. Despite some lingering awkwardness, there was more understanding. The night outside the window was quiet. Zhang Wei realized that this dinner didn't become awkward because of a mistake; instead, it became more interesting. Perhaps this was the anticipated beginning between him and Liu Ying. Vocabulary Words:Zhang Wei: 张伟Liu Ying: 刘英Beijing: 北京restaurant: 饭店culture: 文化Mandarin: 普通话dishes: 菜品flavors: 味道sumptuous: 丰盛nervous: 紧张waiter: 服务员menu: 菜单Sweet potato in syrup: 拔丝地瓜embarrassment: 尴尬creative: 创意specialty: 特色realization: 领悟thoughtfulness: 用心understanding: 理解interesting: 有意思beginning: 开始surprising: 惊喜unique: 奇特excited: 期待charming: 韵味awkwardness: 尴尬fluent: 流利touching: 感动laughing: 笑surprised: 惊呆

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Love Found in Beijing's Hot Pot: A Mandarin Romance Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/love-found-in-beijings-hot-pot-a-mandarin-romance Story Transcript:Zh: 那天，张伟醒来时，阳光照在他的床上。他在心里简单练习了几句普通话，然后走出家门，一个人在北京的街头走走。“今天，就是今天。”他对自己说。En: That day, when Zhang Wei woke up, the sunlight shone on his bed. He practiced a few simple Mandarin sentences in his mind, then walked out of the house alone in the streets of Beijing. "Today, is the day," he said to himself.Zh: 张伟是一个具有中原口音的河南人，来到北京已经三个月，对于普通话仍然感觉比较笨拙。然而，他喜欢的人，刘英，是一个地道的北京人，普通话说得流利，让他感觉出奇的亲近。En: Zhang Wei, a Henan native with a Central Plains accent, had been in Beijing for three months and still felt clumsy with Mandarin. However, the person he liked, Liu Ying, was a native Beijinger who spoke Mandarin fluently, making him feel surprisingly close.Zh: 张伟邀请刘英出来吃饭，对于能和刘英独处他感到既期待又紧张。他练习了一整个晚上的北京话，想要给刘英留下深刻的印象。他们约定在一个叫“老北京涮肉馆”的地方见面，地点就在繁华的王府井，是一个具有浓重北京风情的老字号饭馆。En: Zhang Wei invited Liu Ying out for dinner, feeling both excited and nervous about being able to spend time alone with her. He practiced Beijing dialect all night, hoping to leave a lasting impression on Liu Ying. They agreed to meet at a restaurant called "Old Beijing Hot Pot," located in bustling Wangfujing, a famous old restaurant with a strong Beijing atmosphere.Zh: 两人相约的时候，张伟发现刘英穿着一件红色的旗袍，看上去十分惹眼。张伟心里一紧，强硬地对自己说：“没事的，就是普通话，我可以的。”他们相对笑了笑，然后坐下来点菜。En: When they met, Zhang Wei noticed Liu Ying was wearing a bright red qipao, which caught his attention. Zhang Wei felt a tightness in his chest but firmly told himself, "It's okay, just Mandarin, I can do this." They exchanged smiles and then sat down to order.Zh: 面对北京话组成的菜单，张伟紧张到不知所措。他看着那些听起来非常奇特的菜名，开始有点困惑。在一阵手忙脚乱中，他在菜单上随手点了几个他认为的“经典北京菜”。En: Faced with a menu in Beijing dialect, Zhang Wei was so nervous that he didn't know what to do. He looked at the menu with its very peculiar dish names and started to feel confused. In a fluster, he randomly ordered what he thought were "classic Beijing dishes."Zh: 待菜上来时，刘英看着那些他点的“包子炖鸡翅”、“炒疙瘩”和“豆腐脑炒肉”等奇特的组合，顿时笑出了声。张伟初一开始感到非常尴尬，但刘英摇头笑道：“我从来没尝试过这样搭配，很有创意。”听到这话，张伟的心顿时舒展开来。En: When the dishes arrived, Liu Ying looked at the strange combinations like "baozi stewed chicken wings," "fried dough twists," and "tofu brain with stir-fried pork," and burst out laughing. Initially feeling embarrassed, Zhang Wei, but Liu Ying shook her head and said with a smile, "I've never tried such combinations before, very creative." Upon hearing this, Zhang Wei's heart instantly relaxed.Zh: 他们在异样的菜品中度过了欢笑的时光，张伟的模糊普通话再也没有成为他们之间的障碍。他们相对而笑，心中都有了满意的答案。En: They spent a joyful time laughing over the peculiar dishes, and Zhang Wei's imperfect Mandarin was no longer a barrier between them. They smiled at each other, both content with the evening.Zh: 欢乐的晚餐过去后，张伟终于鼓起勇气，打开了心中的小宇宙，向刘英再次展示了他的“北京普通话”。而这一次，他不再紧张和尴尬，因为他知道，即便他的普通话再差，他所喜欢的人，也会喜欢他的坦诚和勇气。En: After the joyful dinner, Zhang Wei finally mustered up the courage to open up his heart and once again showcase his "Beijing Mandarin" to Liu Ying. This time, he was no longer nervous or embarrassed because he knew that even if his Mandarin was poor, the person he liked would appreciate his honesty and courage.Zh: 这个晚上，张伟找到了他的勇气，也找到了他所追求的爱情。这是一个美好的结束，也是一个崭新的开始。En: That night, Zhang Wei found his courage and also found the love he sought. It was a beautiful ending and a fresh start. Vocabulary Words:sunlight: 阳光bed: 床simple: 简单mind: 心里streets: 街头clumsy: 笨拙excited: 期待nervous: 紧张alone: 一个人dinner: 吃饭impression: 印象restaurant: 饭馆smiles: 微笑menu: 菜单confused: 困惑dishes: 菜品laughing: 笑creative: 创意joyful: 欢乐barrier: 障碍content: 满意courage: 勇气heart: 心love: 爱情ending: 结束fresh start: 崭新的开始

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: The Coffee & Soy Sauce Concoction: A Beijing Tale of Serendipity Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/the-coffee-soy-sauce-concoction-a-beijing-tale-of-serendipity Story Transcript:Zh: 在清晨的北京，阳光打破了京城的宁静，微风如诗，带着花香。王伟，北京的一个为生活而奔波的普通人，今天如同往常一样，坐在他的小公寓的窗边，享受着他那复杂生活中唯一的平静片刻--早餐时间。En: In the early morning of Beijing, the sunlight broke the tranquility of the capital city, with a gentle breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers. Wang Wei, an ordinary person in Beijing who hustles for a living, sat by the window of his small apartment, as usual, enjoying the only peaceful moment in his complex life - breakfast time.Zh: 他的公寓坐落在繁华的朝阳区，那里旁边有个古老的胡同。窗外，老北京的砖红色屋顶在早晨的阳光下闪耀着暖黄色的光芒，新旧交融，历史与现代碰撞，就这样，卡夫杂货，王伟的公寓，一切人间烟火，都融入了这个城市的日常。En: His apartment was located in the bustling Chaoyang District, next to an ancient hutong. Outside the window, the brick-red rooftops of old Beijing shone with a warm yellow light in the morning sun, blending old and new, history and modernity colliding. The Kafu grocery store, Wang Wei's apartment, and all the hustle and bustle of life merged into the daily life of this city.Zh: 毫无疑问，王伟是咖啡的忠实粉丝。然而，就在这平静的早晨，一件小事扰乱了他久违的淡定。隔昼夜的工作疲劳使他瞌睡连连，他磕磕绊绊，代替咖啡奶精拿起了旁边的酱油，毫无察觉地倒进了自己的咖啡杯。En: Without a doubt, Wang Wei was a loyal fan of coffee. However, on this peaceful morning, a small incident disrupted his long-lost calmness. The fatigue from day and night work made him drowsy, and in a hazy state, he mistakenly picked up the soy sauce instead of coffee creamer, pouring it into his coffee cup without realizing it.Zh: 一口气，这个由酱油和咖啡混合而成的黑乎乎的诡异饮品在口中爆发出了一种奇特的滋味。“啊！”王伟突然明白了为什么他一口咖啡下去，感觉口中犹如漂浮着一股孤零零的滷味。他环顾四周，急忙抓过桌子上的咖啡罐和手中的酱油瓶，讶异地看着它们，如同看一个精彩的谜底被揭示。En: In one gulp, the strange dark concoction made of soy sauce and coffee erupted with a peculiar taste in his mouth. "Ah!" Suddenly, Wang Wei understood why when he took a sip of coffee, it felt like a hint of savory flavor was floating in his mouth. He looked around, hastily grabbed the coffee can and soy sauce bottle on the table, staring at them in amazement as if a fascinating mystery had been revealed.Zh: 然而，对这个北京人来说，这只是人生中的一桩小事。他愣了愣，失笑起来，遍想着那台在厨房角落里的咖啡机，其漆黑的豆子含笑半酣。他湿润了眼眶，笑得满脸通红，接着扬起手，举杯应战。En: However, for this Beijinger, it was just a minor incident in life. He paused, burst into laughter, thinking about the coffee machine in the corner of the kitchen, its dark beans seemingly smiling mischievously. His eyes moistened, his face flushed with laughter, then he raised his hand, toasting to the bizarre drink.Zh: 之后的几天，笑容从未从他的脸上消失。他向朋友们讲述这个拌乱咖啡与酱油的故事，他们听后都大笑不止。他甚至决定也给他们品尝一下这种奇特的咖啡酱油混合饮品。最后，他们都觉得虽然味道奇特，却又在奇怪中带来了别样的乐趣。En: In the days that followed, the smile never left his face. He shared the story of the mixed-up coffee and soy sauce with his friends, and they couldn't stop laughing after hearing it. He even decided to let them taste this peculiar coffee-soy sauce concoction. In the end, they all found that although the taste was unusual, it brought a different kind of enjoyment amidst the strangeness.Zh: 这个故事在他的朋友圈里传开，大家都被王伟的悠然自得和乐观态度所感染。这个小小的错误给他的生活添加了一抹笑意和流传的故事。就这样，他节节败退，等到霞光再次照进他的小公寓，他比以往任何时候都更坚韧，更乐观。En: This story spread among his circle of friends, all being infected by Wang Wei's calmness and optimistic attitude. This small mistake added a touch of humor and a shared story to his life. And so, with each setback, as the morning light once again shone into his small apartment, he became more resilient and optimistic than ever before.Zh: 这就是北京，这个城市于他而言是繁华也是压力，但从这个故事中我们看到了王伟以亲和力、乐观的态度将生活中的讽刺和嘲笑化为了生活的调味料。而他坚信，不论生活给你一份淳厚的咖啡，还是一瓶又咸又有深度的酱油，最重要的是要怀着一颗愿意尝试，又乐观的心来面对。En: This is Beijing, a city that is both vibrant and stressful to him. However, from this story, we see how Wang Wei, with his affability and optimistic attitude, turns life's irony and ridicule into the seasoning of life. He firmly believes that whether life offers you a pure cup of coffee or a bottle of salty and profound soy sauce, the most important thing is to face it with a heart willing to try and remain optimistic. Vocabulary Words:capital city: 首都城市gentle breeze: 轻风fragrance: 花香bustling: 繁华ancient: 古老的hutong: 胡同rooftops: 屋顶blend: 交融loyal fan: 忠实粉丝incident: 事件disrupted: 扰乱了calmness: 淡定concoction: 调配peculiar taste: 奇特的滋味amazement: 惊异minor incident: 小事laughter: 笑声mischievously: 恶作剧地resilient: 坚韧的stressful: 压力optimistic attitude: 乐观态度irony: 讽刺ridicule: 嘲讽seasoning: 调味料face: 面对affability: 亲和力fragrant: 芬芳vibrant: 充满活力enjoyment: 乐趣

In this episode of Barbarians at the Gate, our guest is Michael Wester, founder and publisher of True Run Media and The Beijinger. Mike is a long-time resident of Beijing, and we talked with him about running the city's most-read expat publication, his experiences in organizing the “Safe and Sane” WeChat communities during the pandemic, and what the future holds for the international population of China's capital. Later, Jeremiah surprises David and Mike with an announcement.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: The Chopstick Challenge: A Journey to Beijinger Mastery Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/the-chopstick-challenge-a-journey-to-beijinger-mastery Story Transcript:Zh: 北京的夜空布满了宝石，闪烁的街灯在古老的砖墙上起舞。这是王小明第一次踏入位于城市中心的五星级一碗饭餐厅，他是一个不起眼的北京男孩，将迎接着他生命中的一次重要挑战。En: The starry night sky in Beijing was adorned with jewels, while the flickering street lights danced on ancient brick walls. It was the first time Wang Xiaoming, an inconspicuous young boy from Beijing, stepped into the five-star One Bowl Rice restaurant located in the city center. He was about to face an important challenge in his life.Zh: 王小明走过一个黑暗的大理石走廊，来到了充满中国传统氛围的餐厅。他脸上无法隐藏心中的紧张感，他之前的稚嫩和无助让他在这里显得格格不入。然而，他没有理由退缩，因为他希望成为一个真正的北京人，这从熟练使用筷子开始。En: Wang Xiaoming walked through a dark marble corridor and entered the restaurant filled with traditional Chinese vibes. His face couldn't hide the nervousness in his heart, and his previous youthfulness and helplessness made him seem out of place here. However, he had no reason to retreat because he wanted to become a true Beijinger, and that started with mastering the skill of using chopsticks proficiently.Zh: 他坐在一张红木色的桌子前，眼睛四处闪烁，仿佛要将每一个细节都深深刻在他的脑海中。他的目光落在精致的石锅豆腐上，筷子对王小明来说比以往任何时候都更冷，更陌生。然而，他鼓起勇气，自信地夹起一块豆腐。En: He sat at a table made of redwood, his eyes darting around, as if he wanted to deeply imprint every detail in his mind. His gaze landed on the delicate stone pot of tofu, and the chopsticks felt colder and more unfamiliar to Wang Xiaoming than ever before. Nonetheless, he summoned his courage and confidently picked up a piece of tofu.Zh: 然而，接下来发生的事情出乎所有人的意料。那块豆腐似乎活了过来，从他的筷子上跳了下来，引起了餐厅对面桌子上顾客的注意。在这突如其来的瞬间，整个餐厅似乎陷入了一种诡异的寂静。En: However, what happened next caught everyone by surprise. The piece of tofu seemed to come alive and jumped off his chopsticks, attracting the attention of the customers at the table across the restaurant. In this sudden moment, the entire restaurant seemed to fall into an eerie silence.Zh: 笑声和指责声回荡，北京城的中心，一个不起眼的男孩意识到了自身的不足，让每个人都觉得这是一个笑话。然而，就在那个时刻，王小明挺直了脊背，他看着那跳跃的豆腐，停顿了一下。En: Laughter and accusations echoed, and in the heart of Beijing's center, an inconspicuous boy realized his own shortcomings, making everyone feel like it was a joke. However, at that moment, Wang Xiaoming straightened his back. He looked at the jumping tofu and paused for a moment.Zh: 他转向服务员，带着后悔的笑容，说出这样一句话："对不起，我还在学"，然后再次拿起他的筷子，决心第二次挑战这块豆腐。尽管他对筷子的控制没有改善，豆腐再次跳了下来，但这次，他没有停下。他一直在尝试，犯错，但他没有放弃。En: Turning to the waiter, with a remorseful smile, he uttered these words, "I'm sorry, I'm still learning," and then he picked up his chopsticks again, determined to challenge the tofu for the second time. Although his control of the chopsticks didn't improve, the tofu jumped off again, but this time, he didn't stop. He kept trying, making mistakes, but he didn't give up.Zh: 他的坚韧感染了每一个在场的人，笑声渐渐减弱，他们开始在心中为这个弱小的男孩加油。再次夹起豆腐，也许是运气，又或许是他通过无数次尝试掌握了使用筷子的技巧，豆腐稳稳地离开他的筷子顺利地送入了他的嘴中。En: His tenacity infected everyone present. The laughter gradually diminished, and they began to cheer for the young and frail boy in their hearts. Once again, he picked up the tofu. Perhaps it was luck, or perhaps he had mastered the technique of using chopsticks through countless attempts, the tofu sat steadily on his chopsticks and smoothly made its way into his mouth.Zh: 餐厅里响起了热烈的掌声。王小明，一个看似平凡的北京男孩，面对挑战未曾退缩，他优雅地处理了自己的错误，超越了自己的年龄。“我做到了！”他抬起头，自豪地向周围的人宣布。En: The restaurant erupted in warm applause. Wang Xiaoming, an apparently ordinary boy from Beijing, didn't back down from the challenge. He handled his mistake gracefully, surpassing his age. "I did it!" He raised his head and proudly announced to the people around him.Zh: "我要学会用筷子，"他的眼里充满坚决之色，“因为我是北京人。”那个晚上，一个男孩在一家餐厅中尝试着第一次用筷子吃饭，然而最终，他赢得的并不仅是如何夹起豆腐，更是对生活的勇敢和坚持。En: "I want to learn to use chopsticks," determination filled his eyes, "because I am a Beijinger." That evening, a boy tried to use chopsticks for the first time in a restaurant, but in the end, he gained more than just the ability to pick up tofu. He gained the courage and perseverance to face life.Zh: 在豆腐让他失望的那一刻，他学到了一个成为一个真正的北京人的重要教训，那就是热爱和致力于自己所涉足的领域，并付出努力。王小明通过寻找属于他自己的北京，向世界证明，无论年幼与否，每个人都有成为他们渴望成为的人的潜力。En: In the moment when the tofu disappointed him, he learned an important lesson on becoming a true Beijinger, which was to love and commit to whatever field he ventured into and put in the effort. Wang Xiaoming, by finding his own version of Beijing, proved to the world that no matter how young, everyone has the potential to be the person they aspire to be. Vocabulary Words:The: 那starry: 繁星night: 夜晚sky: 天空in: 在Beijing: 北京was: 是adorned: 点缀with: 用jewels: 珠宝while: 而the: 这个flickering: 闪烁的street: 街道lights: 灯光danced: 跳舞on: 在ancient: 古老的

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: The Dance of Friendship: The Banana Peel Tea Incident Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/the-dance-of-friendship-the-banana-peel-tea-incident Story Transcript:Zh: 在熙熙攘攘的北京一家华灯初放的大型商场门口，一则温馨又富有趣味的小故事正在上演。En: In the bustling city of Beijing, in front of a large and brightly lit shopping mall, a heartwarming and amusing little story is unfolding.Zh: 李伟，一个勤恳又担当的老北京人，和朋友张明一起完成了一天的购物狂欢。这在他们的友谊史中，无疑是一次值得纪念的探险。张明，一位来自南方的大方公子，正在尝试北京的特色小吃——香蕉皮泡茶。En: Li Wei, a diligent and responsible old Beijinger, had just finished a day of shopping spree with his friend Zhang Ming. This was undoubtedly a memorable adventure in their history of friendship. Zhang Ming, a generous young man from the south, was trying out Beijing's specialty snack - banana peel tea.Zh: 华灯初放，流光溢彩。正当他们准备说再见的时候，人群中的不可预知，让这个温馨的夜晚变得有些滑稽，却也令人感到独特的亲切。En: As the festive lights lit up, creating a vibrant atmosphere, just as they were about to say goodbye, an unpredictable incident among the crowd turned this warm evening into something comical but also uniquely endearing.Zh: 就在大厅的门口，李伟不小心踩到一片滑滑的香蕉皮，失去重心的他像演员一样在空中做了一个优雅的旋转，惊讶得张明瞪大了眼睛。然后他用力倒下在那片香蕉皮上，愣住了全场。张明的香蕉皮泡茶也因李伟的这个出人意料的动作而飞溅开来，浑身都是。En: Right at the entrance of the hall, Li Wei accidentally stepped on a slippery banana peel. Losing his balance, he performed an elegant spin in mid-air, astonishing Zhang Ming who widened his eyes in surprise. Li Wei then landed forcefully on that banana peel, freezing the entire scene. Zhang Ming's banana peel tea also splashed all over him, thoroughly drenching him.Zh: 那一刻，所有的人都呆住了。商场的灯光明亮如白天，配乐仿佛也在响起掌声。然后，一片大笑声开始在商场内回荡。En: In that moment, everyone was stunned. The mall was brightly lit as if it were daytime, and the music seemed to be playing in applause. Then, a wave of laughter began echoing through the mall.Zh: 然后，李伟搓了搓自己的屁股，站起来，看着自己沾满香蕉皮泡茶的张明，光线在他们面孔上划出温馨的笑容。 "哇，这香蕉皮泡茶怎么样？"李伟朝张明笑道。"啊，这肯定成为我在北京的一个有趣的记忆。"张明回答，笑着摇头。En: Afterwards, Li Wei rubbed his bottom, stood up, and looked at Zhang Ming, who was covered in banana peel tea, with a warm smile on their faces. "Wow, how was that banana peel tea?" Li Wei said to Zhang Ming with a grin. "Ah, this will definitely be a fun memory for me in Beijing," Zhang Ming replied, shaking his head with a smile.Zh: 整个商场都沉浸在这个暖心的瞬间里，人们纷纷拿出手机记录下这一幕。李伟趴在地上，张明站在他旁边，两人相视而笑，就像两个沐浴在光明中的孩子，让商场的灯火变得温暖如春。En: The entire mall was immersed in this heartwarming moment, and people took out their phones to capture the scene. Li Wei lied on the ground, while Zhang Ming stood beside him, both laughing at each other, like two children basking in the light, making the mall's lights warm as spring.Zh: 因此，在拥挤的北京商场，李伟和张明寻找到了属于他们的欢笑与温馨。与香蕉皮的“舞蹈”被记住，成为他们友谊见证的一个深深的印痕。从此以后，无论他们俩走到哪里，当提到香蕉皮泡茶的时候，他们都会有一个甜甜的笑容。En: Therefore, amidst the crowded Beijing mall, Li Wei and Zhang Ming found their own laughter and warmth. Their "dance" with the banana peel was remembered, leaving a deep mark on their friendship. From then on, no matter where they went, whenever banana peel tea was mentioned, they would have a sweet smile on their faces. Vocabulary Words:bustling: 熙熙攘攘city: 城市Beijing: 北京shopping mall: 商场heartwarming: 温馨amusing: 有趣味unfolding: 上演diligent: 勤恳responsible: 担当old Beijinger: 老北京人shopping spree: 购物狂欢friendship: 友谊memorable: 值得纪念adventure: 探险generous: 大方young man: 公子south: 南方specialty: 特色snack: 小吃banana peel tea: 香蕉皮泡茶festive lights: 华灯vibrant atmosphere: 流光溢彩的氛围goodbye: 再见incident: 不可预知的事情crowd: 人群comical: 滑稽endearing: 亲切entrance: 门口slippery: 滑滑的banana peel: 香蕉皮balance: 重心elegant: 优雅spin: 旋转astonishing: 惊讶的wide eyes: 瞪大的眼睛

In 1937, Peking police discovered a British schoolgirl at the bottom of an ancient wall with her heart torn from her chest. The investigation unraveled multiple theories that increased tension between locals and the many foreigners living in China at the dawn of World War II.Sources:Cook, Isham. “Midnight in Peking and true crime fiction.” Isham Cook. 11 January, 2020. https://ishamcook.com/2020/01/11/midnight-in-peking-and-true-crime-fiction/Daugelait, Tautvile. “Author Graeme Shepard Disputes Paul French's Famed Peking Murder Book.” The Beijinger. 12 November, 2018. https://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2018/11/08/its-great-story-he-wrong-graeme-shepard-opposes-infamous-peking-murder-conclusionsFrench, Paul. Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China. (New York: Penguin Books, 2011).Jenne, Jeremiah. “Who Killed Pamela Werner?” The World of Chinese. 7 April, 2019. https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2019/04/who-killed-pamela-werner/Sheppard, Graeme. A Death in Peking: Who Killed Pamela Werner. (Earnshaw Books, 2018).“A Death in Peking: Who Really Killed Pamela Werner.” Blog. https://www.pamelawernermurderpeking.com/blog“Who Really Killed Pamela Werner? Re-examining Old Beijing's Most Infamous Murder.” The China Project. 1 November, 2018. https://thechinaproject.com/2018/11/01/who-really-killed-pamela-werner-a-death-in-peking/Spence, Jonathan D. “Who Killed Pamela Werner in Peking?” ChinaFile. 21 March, 2013. https://www.chinafile.com/library/nyrb-china-archive/who-killed-pamela-peking Perlez, Jane. “A Mystery Endures in Beijing's Old Legation Quarter.” The New York Times. 2 May, 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/04/travel/a-mystery-endures-in-beijings-old-legation-quarter.htmlMusic: Fesilyanstudios.comFor more information, visit www.oldbloodpodcast.com

From contemporary dance in China's capital to rescuing animals and maintaining the most advanced kindergartens in China, today's guest doesn't seem to rest. Where would you take you mom to in China? What shocked this guest in Beijing? Where does one garden in a megacity? Listen in to find out. Winners click the subscribe button. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Taiwanese-American turned Beijinger, Tavey Lin is the teacher-musician-bar boss who always comes correct in business casual.   Now, a surprise move back to the U.S. has this pandemic repat reinventing himself once again.  

Eva Biörck - entreprenör i Peking Efter avlutade studier år 1996 vid Östasienlinjen i Stockholm packade Eva, som har sitt ursprung i Dalarna, sin väska och flög till Peking. Hon trodde hon snart skulle vara hemma i Sverige igen men 24 år senare är det Peking som hon kallar hem. Här bor hon tillsammans med sin man och sina 3 barn. Eva började arbeta inom SAS men fortsatte sedan sin karriär som entreprenör. Hon startade upp designföretaget Chang & Biörk och idag driver hon tillsammans med sin man en framgångsrik restaurangkedja med 3 olika koncept. Casual fine dining Mosto, casual café Moka Bros och barkonceptet La Social. Eva är väldigt aktiv och är inte bara delägare i flera restauranger utan arbetar även som life coach och mentor. På fritiden kitesurfar hon gärna och hikar i bergen runt Kinesiska muren, något hon rekommenderar alla att göra om vi besöker Kina.   I detta avsnitt får vi veta om utmaningarna med att driva företag i Kina och hur utmaningarna blev ännu större under de senaste 2 åren då Kina har implementerat en nolltolerans mot COVID-19. Hur Kina är ett mycket byråkratiskt land men där det ändå går att få saker och ting gjorda snabbt och enkelt. Att alla har en personlig QR-kod som är kopplad till en app, WeChat som man använder när man handlar t.ex matvaror, hur fungerar det egentligen?    Vi får även klarhet i varför OS inte blev en stor sak i Kina i år och varför fyrverkerier inte används längre när det Kinesiska nyåret firas   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mokabros/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/brand-insights-from-mosto-restaurant-group-interview-eva-seidelmann/ Artikel om Eva i The Beijinger: https://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2021/11/26/20-20-restaurateur-life-coach-designer-eva-biorck

As a Mandarin language student in Taipei, I am often told I add ‘R's to words like a Beijinger. ‘That's not how we say it in Taiwan,' my teacher says. ----more---- https://theprint.in/opinion/i-am-not-chinese-i-am-taiwanese-conversations-in-mandarin-and-how-both-cultures-differ/823983/

Episode Notes:Today's guest is Chen Long, co-founder and partner of Plenum, a research firm covering Chinese economy and politics. Prior to that, he was a China economist at Gavekal Dragonomics. Chen Long is a Beijinger, and graduated from Peking University. Welcome to the podcast. It's great to have you.2:20 - I think the economy is a little bit like ice and fire, for now. There are certain areas certainly doing pretty poorly. Of course, everyone always talking about the property market, Evergrande, and basically every couple weeks we see a property developer default… 6:00 on the power generation problems - usually December is a peak of Chinese electricity consumption. I'm not sure the current supply of coal is not ... I mean, it's better than a month ago, but they probably have to do a little bit more. So I think it's still too early to say that we have totally overcome the end of the shortage.13:07 on whether this time is different with the real estate market - a year after Beijing and many local governments introduced restrictive policies, finally, we had three months in a row of property sales volume falling by double digits, on a year on year basis. But this is just three months, right? If you look at the previous cycles, especially 2015, 16, we could have the down cycle for 15 months. But this is just three, right? So Beijing has not blinked yet, because it's only three months.16:30 on Evergrande - I think there was a little bit of overreaction, especially when you see headlines linking Evergrande to Lehman Brothers, and this sort of thing. And I have to say that this is at least the third time I hear a Chinese Lehman moment in the last ten years.35:50 on the 6th Plenum and likely historical resolution - The previous ones were all about resolutions on certain questions of the party's history. Right? And this one is not uncertain questions. There is no question. It is resolution on the party's accomplishments over the last 100 years, and the lessons. So I guess it's a big, big summary about what he has done. And, of course, this one I think will cement him as the core, right? And we have to follow whatever he thinks we should do soLinks: The Plenum website. Transcript:Bill:Hi everyone. Today's guest is Chen Long, co-founder and partner of Plenum, a research firm covering Chinese economy and politics. Prior to that, he was a China economist at Gavekal Dragonomics. Chen Long is a Beijinger, and graduated from Peking University. Welcome to the podcast. It's great to have you.Chen:Thank you, Bill. It's my honor to be your third guest.Bill:Oh, well, third time is the charm, I hope. And I hope things are well. And I hope things are well in Beijing. I have to say, I very much miss this time of year in Beijing. There is something really special about autumn in Beijing.Bill:So, to kick off, today, I think we want to talk about the state of economy, and various themes related to that, including common prosperity, and real estate, the sixth plenum that's coming up. But, to start out, could you just give a brief intro about yourself, and more specifically what Plenum does?Bill:Just for listeners, it's a high end research service. The website is at Plenum.ai. And it's really terrific. It's one of my top most favorite research services on China now. They're really sharp on economy and politics.Chen:Yeah. Thank you, Bill. I think, Bill, you have done basically all the marketing I need to do. So we are a pretty young firm. I mean, we were founded two years ago, almost exactly two years ago. And that's when we first started to publish reports. And we write on Chinese economy, policies, politics, geopolitics, other stuff. And we serve institutional clients. Some are financial institutions, some are non-financial corporations.Chen:And I think where we are a little bit different from others, is the team is basically entirely Chinese nationals. But, of course, we'll come from different backgrounds. A lot of people work in the US for many years. And, right now, I'm based in Beijing. Yeah.Bill:And I first came across your work, I think, because you were working with Arthur Kroger, over at Gavekal DragonomicsChen:Yes. I was at Gavekal for almost six years. Yeah.Bill:Right. And I think that's where I first started reading your work. So, anyway, it's great to have you. I've always been a big fan. So-Chen:Yeah. Thank you, Bill.Bill:From a top level, could you just give us your view on what's going on in the economy in China, and where things are?Chen:Yeah. I think the economy is a little bit like ice and fire, for now. There are certain areas certainly doing pretty poorly. Of course, everyone always talking about the property market, Evergrande, and basically every couple weeks we see a property developer default.Chen:But, on the other hand, you also see this energy crunch, which actually was because energy demand was really strong, right? And industrial demand was strong. And then the grid and then the power plants could not meet up with that demand. So you basically have one big sector of economy, and actually several big sectors, apart from the real estate, you have the automobile market actually shrinking this year, general consumption were pretty mediocre, right? Because whenever there's a COVID cluster, you have local governments will restrict travel, or implement some sort of lockdown for two or four weeks. So consumption will be affected.Chen:But, on the other hand, the export is really strong, right? We're probably seeing the best export performance since 2011. That's the best we have in a decade. And there's no sign that this is putting off. A lot of people have said, "No, this is just temporary. Not going to be sustainable." I've been hearing that argument since a year ago. And, right now, it's still really hot. So that's why you have certain sectors ... So that's a little bit special, I think, compared with any time in the last decade. Yeah.Bill:And, certainly, specifically around the energy challenges, you said it was really because demand was so high. How quickly do you think that the ... There have been a whole flurry of measures from the NDRC, and other government bodies, about making sure that the coal supply increases, and cracking down on price speculation.Bill:And, I mean, how quickly do you think that these regulatory actions are going to solve the problem? And, the reforming or the changing in the price mechanism, is that enough to make the power generators actually make money now, so they're more willing to produce energy? Or are we still going to be looking at probably fits and starts over the next few months?Chen:Yeah. I think a lot of the power plants may not be losing money at this point. The government basically did several things at the same time. One, they told all the coal miners just to increase supply as much as you can. And, two, they told the coal miners also to restrict the prices. Basically, they set a cap. And there's a debate on what exactly is the cap, because there are several different versions of the cap.Chen:But whatever version you believe in, there's a cap. And the cap is a lot lower than the market price we had two weeks ago. That's why we had this Zhengzhou thermal coal future price, basically halve in two weeks. And they also allow the power plants to raise the electricity prices by up to 20%, and more if the users are high energy intensity sectors.Chen:So there are flurry of changes happen just over the last months or so. And I think the coal supply has probably improved quite a bit. And we are hearing a lot less stories on companies running ... They face blackouts, or they were just told in very short notice that they have to cut production. We hear a lot less that sort of story. But that still exists, it's just a lot less than a month ago, or at the end of September.Chen:But with this winter heating season coming again, usually December is a peak of Chinese electricity consumption. I'm not sure the current supply of coal is not ... I mean, it's better than a month ago, but they probably have to do a little bit more. So I think it's still too early to say that we have totally overcome the end of the shortage.Bill:Thanks. I mean, it is interesting how it really seemed to have caught a lot of people by surprise. I think both policy makers, but also investors. It's just interesting how that happened, and how so many people seemed to not understand what was going on, including myself.Chen:Yeah. Because, for 20 years maybe, people talk about China has over capacity in IPP, this is actually the power plants. China invested too much in some coal power plants. And I think, at one point, like 2015 or 2016, when over capacity got really serious. And then that was one of the sectors that local and others had to work very hard to cut capacity.Chen:So we never really thought for a second that China would have electricity shortage, because there's always huge supply, maybe oversupply. But I think a lot of things changed since the beginning of the pandemic. The services sector used to be growing a lot faster. But, so far, it's underperforming, while the industrial sector, which were slowing for many years, has suddenly started to outperform.Chen:So, basically, since the second quarter of last year, we have a Chinese economy moving further away from a service driven economy, to a more industrial driven economy. So that's a completely reversal of the trend since 2010, or even 2005.Bill:That's also a reversal of what a lot of economists have recommended China do, right?Chen:Yeah. I mean, people say, "No, yeah, China should become more service driven, and less industrial driven. And also, of course, more consumption driven, less investment driven." But I would say this whole rebalancing theme has somewhat reversed over the last year or so.Chen:And this just, again, has to do with this fire and ice, as I mentioned earlier. So this is just one sector doing really well, it's industrials. And the manufacturing facilities are just all pretty at fully capacity, demand from the rest of the world is really strong. And while the domestic consumption is very mediocre. And service sector, of course, the people just go out a little bit less than they were, in 2019 or earlier.Chen:So basically the economy itself is consuming much more electricity than it used to be, that means two years ago. So, suddenly, we have this issue.Bill:Interesting. And just on that stronger industrial, weaker consumption service sector, is that by design? Is that something that the policy makers want? Or is this just more of an outgrowth of the pandemic changing global dynamics, potentially consumer spending dropping because of concerns about consumer debt, for example? I mean, what's driving that?Chen:I don't think it's intended or planned, or even foreseen by Beijing, by the leadership, I think when China started to get out of the pandemic, in April or May 2020, I mean, there was a real fear, because the rest of the world is experiencing the worst of the pandemic. So the worry, at the time, was China is going to face a demand collapse from the rest of the world. So you got a double whammy economic crisis. So just get out from the domestic demand collapse, you're going to see an external demand collapse.Chen:But somehow that external demand collapse didn't really happen, or just basically happened for one month or so. And turned out to be that the export was really strong. And people in Beijing could hardly believe that. And people say, "Oh, this is just temporary. Because this supply chain was disrupted. But maybe when the things get better next year, the demand will go away. And somebody might has to do with this stimulus checks, given by US government, European governments. Once that effect expires, the demand will go away."Chen:But, so far, it still hasn't gone away. And with Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe, Latin America, lot of developing manufacture hubs in trouble, China basically became the only manufacture hub that can still maintain enough supplies. So I think that really caught a lot of people, including the Chinese government, by a big surprise.Bill:No, it is. It is really interesting. And so as you talk about the economy, I think you called it fire and ice, I mean, one area that seems a bit icy is real estate. And, obviously, Evergrande's been in the news. But there are plenty of real estate developers that have violated the three red lines, or seem to be in various states of default or near default on some of their debt.Bill:One thing that's been interesting is we've seen real estate stresses that are over the last 15 years or so. Every few years, it seems like there's a cycle, and it's usually policy driven. Because the policy makers want to crack down on real estate speculation and unproductive investment. But then when things start getting bad, and stressed, and companies start having problems, and prices maybe start looking like they're going to drop in some places, the policy makers always blink and pull back, and basically find ways to loosen things up, and let the market return.Bill:It seems like, this time, they've been much more disciplined, I think surprising a lot of people, in terms of being willing to ride out a lot more pain around the real estate sector. Is that a fair assessment? And, if it is, why is that? And if it's not, how do you see what's going on?Chen:Yeah. I tend to believe that this time is not that much different from previous episodes. I mean, I know there's the argument there, saying, "Xi really wants to reduce the share of the real estate in the economy, and wants to curb housing prices." But I don't think this is new. We have this episode, like you just mentioned, multiple times in the last 15 years. Basically every three years, we have a property cycle, from trough to peak to trough. Right? And the Chinese government, in both central and local, that will change policies very, very quickly.Chen:And this time is no different, right? Because you talk about the three red lines, the three red lines really were just introduced a year ago, last August. Right? And, well, the background of that was the PBOC, along with other policy makers, the property market recovered too quickly, and think they're doing too well. And housing prices in cities, especially big cities like Shenzhen or Shanghai, were rising too fast. And that was a little bit unanticipated. So they said, "No, we have to restrict the area, this kind of bull run."Chen:And now a year after Beijing and many local governments introduced restrictive policies, finally, we had three months in a row of property sales volume falling by double digits, on a year on year basis. But this is just three months, right? If you look at the previous cycles, especially 2015, 16, we could have the down cycle for 15 months. But this is just three, right? So Beijing has not blinked yet, because it's only three months. Right?Chen:And we are seeing a little bit some early signs, like PBOC two weeks ago said, "Oh, some banks misunderstood our intention, when we told them to restrict the lending. And some of the normal projects would not be restricted," blah, blah, blah. And then I think today, or yesterday, one of the state-owned media, Economic Daily again published article about these housing regulations. So I think we're seeing some signs that those things are easing a little bit. So it's not like they are just letting the market die.Bill:Right. Well, and I mean, there are real risks. I mean, there are real risks around ... I mean, I owned property in China for a while, and certainly had lots of friends, including some real estate developers, and people with lots of ... I mean, there was just this sense that, in these previous cycles, they would go until prices started dropping, and there was a risk of people getting really pissed off because they were losing money again.Bill:And so is that one of the things ... I mean, again, it doesn't seem like the prices have dropped that much yet in most places. Is that one of the things to look for, where if we start seeing housing prices actually go negative, is that one of the triggers that makes the government maybe start loosening faster, just because they're worried about how ... I mean, they have their constituency, and people who own property. They do care what they think, right?Chen:Yeah. That's certainly one thing they care about. And I think another thing they care about is the impact on economy, like the GDP, right? The housing and the real sector as a whole, if you found all the upstream industries all together, it'd account for probably one third of Chinese economy. Right? So if you kill the real estate sector, basically you kill the economy. And they can't do that. That's suicide.Bill:No. It's still a quarter of the economy. Right? So somewhere around there, if you add up all the various-Chen:Yeah. Depending on how you estimate, anywhere between 20% to a third, that's kind of the estimation. Yeah.Bill:So, Evergrande, there was a massive freak out over Evergrande. And I think it's maybe even a month ago, or a little longer. Did people overreact to what's going on at Evergrande. And what is going on there? And how do you think it gets resolved?Chen:Yeah. I think it has a little bit of sense that people were a little bit overreacting. I got called by Al Jazeera twice in two days, saying, "We need you to comment on Evergrande." I was like, "Come on, guys. You guys, yeah, are very respectful media TV, but you don't need to tell your audience in Qatar what's going on in Evergrande, in two days in a row. And one of that is a Sunday."Chen:So I was like, "Oh, this is really everywhere. Right? It's not just Bloomberg or Wall Street Journal. This has gone to non-financial media as well." And that was basically the main theme in the last week, or last two weeks of September. Right? So I think there was a little bit of overreaction, especially when you see headlines linking Evergrande to Lehman Brothers, and this sort of thing. And I have to say that this is at least the third time I hear a Chinese Lehman moment in the last ten years.Bill:I was just going to say, is the default analogy when ... Oh my God, China's Lehman moment. And we saw it. I remember it was, I think, 2013, when the interbank market basically went crazy, the end of Q2, early Q3. And I forget the other one. But, no, every time I see someone say, "China's Lehman market," basically, just to be honest, I just tune it out. Because it doesn't fit. And it never has. And if China has a big problem like Lehman Brothers, it won't be like Lehman brothers. It'll be something else, is my view.Chen:Yes, totally. And I don't know that even if Lehman Brothers exist today. I mean, if the same thing happens today, with the current federal reserve, with the current Fed chairman, that this will not have happened. Because they would just do QE.Bill:So what does happen with Evergrande? I mean, how does this thing get resolved?Chen:Evergrande, on the surface, just a very large company, over leveraged, and had a liquidity problem, maybe has solvency problem. We don't really know how much of its assets is real, or how much liability is real. Maybe its liability is a lot more than is stated. It says it has 2 trillion RMB liability, but if it has 2.5 trillion, then the company is insolvent, right? So we don't really know.Chen:And the thing is, we just start to see that this company started to have funding problem, since PBOC introduced the three red lines, because it failed in all the three. Banks were afraid of giving it money, and couldn't refinance in the bank market either. And the trust company, and the trust world that everyone saw, started to have problems. So, basically, with leverage at that size, you have to keep borrowing. To Evergrande, they're reducing the debt. And once that snowball stops moving, then basically you collapse, right? So I guess that's basically what it faced.Chen:And how we're going to resolve it, I think, in the best case scenario, that a lot of the estate projects will just ... First, they have to get it finished. And some of the land, or some other projects be sold to other developers. And Evergrande will downsize to a much smaller developer, and then will start to exist.Chen:And that's quite similar to what Wanda did. Wanda was a much bigger property developer five years ago. But then since has sold a lot of the projects, both in China and overseas. And, basically, right now, it's like a property management company, and doesn't have a lot of power assets. So that's what Wang Jianlin did to save himself, basically, and his company.Chen:So maybe, on Evergrande, if you're rational, you think that's a good scenario. But I think Hui Ka Yan doesn't want to give up. I think that he is betting on another big easing from Beijing. Right? Because he has been in this, I would say, in the live or die moment, at least twice in the last 15 years. Right? The first time I heard about Evergrande was 2007, right? I saw news that Hui Ka Yen was having drinks with the Hong Kong tycoons, and playing mahjong together. And, finally, he received a lot of money from the Hong Kong tycoons. And then that saved him in 2008, when the company was on the edge of collapse.Chen:And the second time was 2015. The company was again on the edge of collapse. And then it bet on a big easing from Beijing, and then property market turned around. It became much bigger. And I think, this time, Hui Ka Yen doesn't want give up. But he did say two weeks ago that he wants to move further from property developing, wants to become electricity car company. God knows whether he can succeed or not, but he's not going to just give up.Bill:Right. Right. No, he's the kind of ... I mean, that's why he's been so successful, and why he's been able to pull this off, right? I mean, he's just going to go until he can't go anymore. And it will be-Chen:Yeah, yeah. I think that the government ... Yeah. Sorry.Bill:No, go ahead. Go ahead, please.Chen:Yeah. I think from the government's perspective, the government would just want Evergrande to downsize, finish the existing projects, pay off your debt. It becomes a smaller company. And then your risk also is a lot smaller. But I'm not sure that's something that Hui Ka Yen has decided to do. Because then he will become a much less relevant person. Right?Bill:Right. And the government does also seem concerned now about the risks of defaults in the overseas debt markets. Right? I mean, it seems like this is the constant tension, right? They want introduce some discipline, and they want to avoid moral hazard, but they can't have a bunch of offshore bonds default in a short period of time. Right? Because then that potentially really screws up the market for them for a while, doesn't it?Chen:Yeah. That's actually an interesting point. Because when people ask me about Evergrande like a month and a half ago, and I was basically saying, "I think the dollar bond market matters the least for Beijing." Right? Because you have a different kind of creditors of Evergrande, right? You have the home buyers, who've paid, but they haven't received the houses. And then you have the construction firms and their workers. And you have the domestic banks, the domestic WMP holders, domestic trust companies. And they all matter a great deal for the Chinese financial system. And the last one is a hedge fund or someone who bought a bond in Hong Kong. But all of a sudden, they had a meeting a week ago, saying, "Hey, guys, we have to have a little bit discipline. Don't just run away. And you have to also take care of your offshore debt." I still haven't figured out why, what changed in their thinking. Maybe this is just a way to calm down the Wall Street. But why did they suddenly feel they have to calm down the Wall Street, six weeks after the crisis happened? I haven't figured out.Chen:My hypothesis is maybe some Wall Street bosses put some pressure on Chinese leadership. I did notice that a lot of the big bankers, and the big American company, and the senior executives had a video conference with Wang Qishan two or three weeks ago, in the name of the Xinhua advisory board.Bill:Right. Right, right, right. That's interesting. And I have to say, I find it very, very strange that the US Secretary of State, Blinken, brought up Evergrande a couple weeks ago, which he made some comment about hoping the Chinese manage ... I forget exactly, but it just-Chen:Well, he was asked by CNN, or someone. Yeah, he was asked.Bill:Oh, was it a response? He was asked? Okay. It just seemed like it was very out of his lane, in terms of what the Secretary of State would talk about. So-Chen:Yeah. He basically said, "People have to act responsibly."Bill:Interesting. I mean, I think it is interesting though. It definitely does seem to be a shift. So, speaking of shifts, I know we only have a few more minutes, but I'd love to get your thoughts on ... Again, this is something lots of people ... Outside of China, I know we're scratching their heads, but certainly folks I've talked to inside China too, are trying to really get their hands around, what does common prosperity mean? And, really, what changes, what policy direction are we really going to see around common prosperity? And there was that strange WeChat post that was from a very sort of Neo-Maoist-Chen:Li GuangmanBill:Yeah, yeah, the very Neo-Maoist blogger, that was picked up over the weekend by the online properties of Xinhua big state media properties, which caused a lot of consternation outside China, but I think inside China as well. And so it seems like the messaging is a little bit mixed, and there's obviously a lot of politics involved. But what do you see, or what's your guys' view, the point of view on what common prosperity means going forward?Chen:Well, we tend to think that common prosperity is next step after President Xi completed the poverty alleviation campaign, right? So after poverty alleviation, in theory, China should have no absolutely poorer people, right? Nobody's living in poverty anymore. And then what's the next step, right? That's not the end. Right? You get out of poverty, but you should get richer, and you have a better life.Chen:So I think that's something that he came up with after that, that we want everyone to have a more decent lifestyle. And, of course, he chose Zhejiang province, a province he spent five years as party secretary to be this pilot program, or pilot area for common prosperity. And the thing about Zhejiang was ... The thing Zhejiang published was rather, I would say, a standard, right? It basically said, "No, we want to increase the household time by one percentage point, or increase the GDP by certain percentage point. And then the equality among different cities should be restricted within a ratio, and people should be able to find the jobs very easily," blah, blah. So a lot like that.Chen:So it's still very pro growth, the Zhejiang plan. But we all know the common prosperity is not only about growth, it's also about redistribution, which is something Zhejiang did not mention very much in his own report, which is understandable. Because that requires tax policy changes that Zhejiang has no say. So Beijing has to decide what kind of tax, what you have to introduce, right? People talk about this property tax, and more pilot programs for property taxes. And then we talk about the consumption taxes. So this kind of stuff, Zhejiang has no say, right? So Beijing has to decide what exactly they're going to do with all these taxes.Chen:So there's certainly an element also about redistribution, restricting certain super rich, and especially those who got rich without behaving, how to say, legally, or you operate in gray area. For many years, there was no law or no regulation. You got rich, but maybe you broke the law. Right? So if you got rich through that channel, then maybe you have to rethink a little bit. Yeah. Or at least you have to change your model completely, because that's no longer tolerated. Right? Because the President did say, "We encourage everyone to work very hard to get rich. And that's great. But we also want to restrict people from getting rich using dodgy channels."Bill:Right. And I think that's what has certainly freaked out a fair number of people. Right? Because it's always unclear what the definition of dodgy or not legal actually is, and how far back they might go. And, that, I think also ties a bit into ... I know you guys have written a fair amount about all these various regulatory actions, and specifically around anti-monopoly policies and regulatory decisions, and also the changing approach to internet platform regulation.Bill:Are we in a new normal, when it comes to regulation? I talk to some people who think this is all passed, and it's going to get better again. But, to my perspective, it really feels like we're in a new era of this kind of stuff. And so, the big internet companies, their businesses are still good, but they're never going to be the same. And it feels like, their costs, they're going to have a lot higher cost base, because they're not going to be able to exploit workers and customers, like the way they used to be able to.Chen:Yeah. I think the compliance cost will certainly be a lot higher than before. And these regulations have passed. And they will stay here. They'll not go away. They'll not be rolled back. So I don't think there's anything like the end of the regulation, or the end of the regulatory competitor. There will be no end.Chen:But I do think maybe the peak is behind us. Think about the largest internet companies in China, Alibaba and Meituan were already punished for antitrust. And the Tencent was not directly affected by the trust, but the gaming thing was also mentioned, and a lot of other guys also name checked, like ByteDance, or Pinduoduo, they were also a little bit worried. So it is hard to say who will be bigger than Alibaba, who will be a bigger victim than Alibaba, it's very hard to ... Unless Tencent suddenly runs into a big trouble. But nobody else is bigger than Alibaba in the Chinese internet domain.Chen:So I guess, after these campaigns, maybe since we settled down a little bit, it will not be over, but we're likely to suddenly see another company find 18 billion RB immediately, or another large fintech company saying, "You have to dissolve, or you have to be separated into different arms." Nobody else is really as big as Ant Right? So I guess maybe we have passed a peak.Chen:And especially, this year, again, I think there's something different about this year, is since the very beginning, Xi made it very clear that this is a year that we don't have to worry very much about economic growth, because it's very easy. Right? They said the growth is targeted at 6% intentionally, which is a target they're going to reach anyway. Right? So, basically, they can do a lot of other things, like structural reforms, and some things they wanted to do in the past, but didn't have the time or the capacity. But, finally, this year, you can spend all your efforts in these things.Chen:But next year will be different again. But next year, actually, we'll go back to the normal China, that you have to be worried about growth target, right? Where is Beijing going to set the growth target? People are debating. I think it's still being something like five and a half percent. And I definitely don't think it'll be lower than 5%. And given the current trajectory, they have to change policy quite a bit to reach either target, especially…Bill:So you're saying, if they decide the target for next year is 5%, they'd have to ease up on some things for next year?Chen:Yeah. I think, five, there is a little bit. And if five and a half, they have to ease quite a lot. And that means you have to be a little bit nicer to companies in general. Right? So, last year in 2020, Xi had several symposiums with various people, and at least two with large companies, right? One, there was a foreign company, the other was all Chinese private firms.Chen:But, this year, at least on the record, I haven't seen any of these kind of symposiums with companies. Right? So he only does that when he's worried about the corporate sector. And, this year, he's not worried, apparently. But, next year, if he's worried again, he could come up, and then they'll have a conversation with these guys in person. And if he does that, then the crackdowns will be a lot softer, at least. Right?Bill:Interesting. So last question, I know you got to go, is what do you think we're going to see out of the sixth plenum, that investors and others should really be paying attention to, that starts ... I guess it starts on Monday and runs through, I think, Thursday next week, right?Chen:Yeah. Yeah. Well, the sixth plenum is all about one thing, right? It's this resolution about the accomplishments of the party in the last one, two years. Right? And I think the previous two resolutions, we had one in 1945, another in 1981, right? Maybe the 1981 one is more relevant, because of course that's more recent, and that was done by Deng Xiaoping. And, without the second, we wouldn't have known there would be another resolution. Right?Chen:But I think this time it's quite different. Because both in the first resolution, basically written by and approved by Chairman Mao, and the second one basically drafted and finally approved by Deng and Chen Yun and other old comrades. But they had to fight with a different ideology. Right?Chen:So in the first resolution, Chairman Mao was basically saying that the party made a lot of mistakes in the 1930s. Right? And ended up then with the Long March. And then we had the Zunyi conference. And then I had to be this poor core. And then the party was saved. Right? So there was a real fight between Mao and a lot of other guys, from Wang Ming and others. So he used that resolution to cement what happened in the party over the past 20 years or so, which was right and which was wrong. So that was basically that resolution was all about.Chen:And the 1981 resolution was similar. Right? So this old comrades had to ... They felt they had to come with something to summarize what happened since 1949, what was right, what was wrong? Where did chairman Mao did right? And where did he did wrong? And what we should do next? Right? So there was a lot of that. And also of course Hua Guofeng at the time was still relevant. Right? So he had to make sure that this 两个凡是, that whatever Mao said, we had to follow. Right? This is...Bill:Yeah, the two whateversChen:Yes. Yeah. So he had to crack that. So, in both occasions, there were clear things they had to correct. But, this time, I really don't think there's a clear thing that President Xi has to correct. Because no one is really arguing something else. And I think they usually talk about their mistakes, or some problems the party had since 1981. Maybe the biggest thing was what happened in the late '80s. Right?Chen:But since 1992, when Deng did this sudden speech, and everything was basically all about the reform, and open up, blah, blah. Of course, we had a little bit of chaos during the 18th party Congress, Bo Xilai and all these guys. But that, I think, was so minor, if you compare all the other accidents the party had over the last 100 years, right? Maybe it's only relevant in the last 40 years. So I think this all ...Chen:And also the name was a little bit different, right? The previous ones were all about resolutions on certain questions of the party's history. Right? And this one is not uncertain questions. There is no question. It is resolution on the party's accomplishments over the last 100 years, and the lessons. So I guess it's a big, big summary about what he has done. And, of course, this one I think will cement him as the core, right? And we have to follow whatever he thinks we should do so, and that's something definitely right.Bill:That's an interesting point, about if it's not actually about certain questions. And probably, certainly, if people want to ahead of this, I think reading that document ... I think it came out in August. It was basically a long piece about the party's accomplishments. I'm guessing that there'll be a lot in this resolution that is very similar to that language.Chen:Yeah, yeah.Bill:Right? I mean, it seems like it's a draft almost. And, really, like you said, it's not about settling a fight that's been going on, so much as more forward working. But so what does that mean? I mean, I assume this will tie into common prosperity. And I guess, this plenum, it really is going to be about this. There's probably nothing from a policy perspective that's going to affect the economy, or how investors should look at China in the near term, right?Chen:Yeah. I guess not that much in the near term. Well, of course, this one will set a stage for next year, where the big thing will happen. So the 20th party Congress, will get them to say, "No, we're going to follow this revolution, and then do whatever we should do in the next few years." Right.Bill:Great. Well, hey, I really appreciate your time. I think really want to thank you for being one of the first guest of Cynicism. And I will put a link to the Plenum website in the show notes. And I highly recommend anyone who is a financial market professional in China, you should go sign up for trial. Like I said, these guys, Chen Long and his team, and the Plenum research product is really quite terrific. So thanks again for your time. And I hope everything stays safe in Beijing. We see lots of headlines about COVID in Beijing right now. But I-Chen:Yeah, it is absolutely safe. If I go out, I may not be able to come back. So it's absolutely safe to stay here.Bill:Right. So you're probably not leaving Beijing until February, right? I mean, is it possible that you really can't leave before the Olympics?Chen:I think I can. I think, after next week, things may be a little bit relaxed. I think it's just partly because of next week, the sixth plenum.Bill:The plenum.Chen:And partly because the COVID clusters are still on the rise. But I think after next week, I might be able to travel a little bit.Bill:Great. Well, anyway, thanks again for your time. And I hope to talk to you soon.Chen:Yeah. Thank you, Bill. Yep. Get full access to Sinocism at sinocism.com/subscribe

1. 俺(ǎn)I, me, we, us, etc2. 晓得(xiǎodé)To know something, like 知道3. 没门儿(méi méner)“No way! Not gonna happen!”For more words & examples, check out the Beijinger article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8EDVicH7NMbknumcNtcviwGot questions? Want flash cards? Join the WeChat or Facebook groups!WeChat: msgpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgpodcast Twitter: @msgmandarin MSG is bringing you the delicious Chinese learning content that you need. We go inside the language to bring you the culture and stories behind the words that your textbook just isn’t giving you. Likes, subscribes, comments, and ratings help ensure that I'll be able to keep doing it! Thanks. I love you, no matter what Gregorysays.

Scroll down for language learning materials.开场白文字 Opening Transcript诶呦喂, 您吃了么？您今天儿真漂亮！咱们聊聊北京话儿呗。 新栏目南腔北调要开始了！Welcome BreadToast Chinese, Brad here. My sincerest apologies for that painful attempt at sounding like a Beijinger. You are tuned in to episode one of yet another new series we are totally pumped about.  The series is called 南腔北调.Local language serves as the starting point and core of every episode of南腔北调, and we go from there. We don’t pretend to be experts in linguistics, but we believe that taking the time to appreciate geographic, linguistic and cultural diversity is just plain fun, and it helps us understand each other.Today’s BGM track is ‘Pink Rose,’ from Xinjiang artist 傅老大. Check out next week’s 等我音乐 to hear us talk with 傅老大 about another one of his songs, ‘天台 (Rooftop)’.If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re talking about good ol’ 北京话儿 today. 南腔北调 co-host Vicky and I sat down in our virtual 北京胡同四合院 courtyard with 年轻的老北京人 Nana. As always, you’ll find all sorts of cool stuff and language learning materials in the show notes at breadtoastchinese.simplecast.com and in the articles we put out on our public WeChat account, or 微信公众号，BreadToast Chinese 面包吐思.结语文字 Closing Transcript感谢你收听面包吐思《南腔北调》，也感谢傅老大提供这一期的BGM，Pink Rose。大家可以上网易云搜索傅老大，随时听他的歌。下一期的《等我音乐》会跟傅老大聊聊他的另一首歌，天台。想听听我们对话的小伙伴可以在各个平台关注面包吐思。思是思考的思，别打错了！喜欢我们节目的话可以给朋友推荐，也可以随时与我们联系。Big, big thanks to special guest Nana and co-host Vicky. 拜拜！想关注或与我们联系么？Wanna stay up to date or get in touch?Like us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram: breadtoastchinese微信公众号搜索 Search for our public WeChat account ：BreadToast Chinese 面包吐思给我们发个邮件 Send us an email: breadtoastpodcast@outlook.com语言学习材料 Language Learning Materials啊，刚说啥英语单词来着？没听清!Gap year - 英[ˈɡæp jɪə(r)] 美[ˈɡæp jɪr]  n. 空缺年(常指中学毕业后上大学前所休的一年假期，用于实习或旅游);Valley Girl - 英[ˈvæli ɡɜːl] 美[ˈvæli ɡɜːrl]  n. 谷地富家女(只热衷于购物等，被认为是加利福尼亚州圣费尔南多谷地富家女的典型);Get 到了- 英[ɡet] 美[ɡet]  v. 收到; 接到; 获得; 得到; (卖某物) 挣得;Official term - 英[əˈfɪʃl tɜːm] 美[əˈfɪʃl tɜːrm]  正式名称; 缩写词为OT;Pipe - 英[paɪp] 美[paɪp]  n. 管子; 管道; 烟斗; 烟袋; 管乐器;We are a team - 英[wi ɑː(r) ə tiːm] 美[wi ɑːr ə tiːm]  我们是一个团队;What are you doing? - 英[wɒt ɑː(r) ju ˈduːɪŋ] 美[wɑːt ɑːr jə ˈduːɪŋ]  你在做什么; 你在干什么;Stuff about Beijing and speaking Beijing hua 北京话北京腔/北京味儿 [ běi jīng qiāng / běi jīng wèir ] – Beijing accent/Beijing flavor儿化音 [ér huà yīn] – nonsyllabic final r 儿 added to a word in spoken Chinese (Hanping Chinese Dictionary)语气 [ yǔ qì ] - manner of speaking; mood; tone节奏感 [ jié zòu gǎn ] - rhythm长音  [ cháng yīn ] - long vowel; prolonged sound重音 [ zhòng yīn ] – accent; emphasized sound咬字 [ yǎo zì ] - to pronounce (clearly or otherwise); to enunciate胡同 [ hú tòng ] - lane; CL:条; alley. The standard in traditional Beijing neighborhoods四合院 [ sì hé yuàn ] - courtyard house四九城 [ sì jiǔ chéng ] - "Four nine cities" refers to the general name of the four gates of the imperial city and the nine gates of the inner city. The four gates of the imperial city are Tian'an gate天安门, Di'an gate地安门, Dong'an gate 东安门and Xi'an gate西安门, while the nine gates of the inner city are Zhengyang gate (front door) 正阳门（前门）, Chongwen gate崇文门, Xuanwu Gate宣武门, Chaoyang Gate朝阳门, Fucheng gate阜成门, Dongzhimen东直门, Xizhimen西直门, Anding gate安定门 and Desheng Gate德胜门.  (百度百科 Baidu Baike)Stuff to try to say like a Beijinger (if you’re not afraid of making a fool of yourself)馅饼 [ xiàn bǐng ] – meat pie. If you can get the ‘er’ down on this, you’re off to a great start.下一站是前门。请大家从前门下车。[ xià yī zhàn shì qián mén. qǐng dàjiā cóng qián mén xià chē ] – The next stop is Qianmen. Everyone please alight using the front door. Which ‘men’ gets the ‘er’ and which doesn’t?中央电视台 [ zhōng yāng diàn shì tái ] - China Central Television (CCTV), PRC state TV network. Slur the front end and emphasize the tail end.西红柿炒鸡蛋 [xī hóng shì chǎo jī dàn] – Fried tomato and egg dish. Use as few intelligible syllables as possible.姥姥 [ lǎo lao ] - (coll.) mother's mother; maternal grandmother. One syllable only. Draw this one out like it’s your job.诶呦喂 [ ai you wei ] – hey! No tones on this one. Just go for it.吃了么？[chī le me] – have you eaten yet?  Really just a way to say “hello”到家跟我妈说话 [ dào jiā gēn wǒ mā shuō huà ] – “Get home and talk to my mom.”  The easier of our two sentences we tried to say like a Beijinger.地名 [ dì míng ] - place name; toponym. See if you can add the ‘er’ without it sounding forced.今天我跟我姥姥一块儿去大栅栏 [ jīntiān wǒ gēn wǒ lǎolao yīkuàir qù dà zhàlán ] – “Today, I went to Da Zha Lan with my grandma.” Send us a recording of you saying this sentence like a true Beijinger and we’ll send you a piping hot 馅饼via canal barge and steamship as your prize.您 [ nín ] - you (courteous, as opposed to informal 你). None of that uncouth 你 business when talking to a stranger in Beijing!Idioms/Proverbs地地道道 [ dì dì dào dào ] – outright/authentic. 真正的；纯粹的；实实在在的；负责任的。字正腔圆 [ zì zhèng qiāng yuán ] - (of singing or speaking) very articulate pronunciation and vocalizing. （说或唱）字音准确，腔调圆润（多用于戏曲或曲艺）：他的念白、唱腔都～，表演得声情并茂。自然而然 [ zì rán ér rán ] - involuntary; automatically. 不经外力作用而如此：我们长期在一起工作，～地建立了深厚的友谊。约定俗成 [ yuē dìng sú chéng ] - established by popular usage (idiom); common usage agreement; customary convention. 指某种事物的名称或社会习惯，经过长期的社会实践而被公认，并为大家遵守和沿用。《荀子·正名》：“名无固宜，约之以命，约定俗成谓之宜，异于约则谓之不宜。”Extra Vocabulary to look up and listen for (if that’s your thing).媒体推广区分刻意尴尬毕竟含糊表演性质精髓赞同不至于语境段子正经教育黏糊正宗撒娇亲和力习俗句尾指环王/霍比特人皮影戏成挑战精神讲究清朝满语语言天分极力独生子女褒义和贬义充实Pinyin, translations and definitions come from Baidu unless otherwise noted in parenthesis._We recommend checking out Wordy Klay's Joker Studio YouTube Channel  for much much more on 北京话。 He's got tons of amazing content._Is this stuff helpful? What else would you like to see here? Got any questions, comments or complaints? Send us an email:  breadtoastpodcast@outlook.com

Our guest this week is Richard Bensberg, a long time Beijinger and the newly appointed Director of Sales and Integrations at Blockstream where he is focused on their Liquid product. Richard got his start in Bitcoin in the early days of OkCoin where he was managing compliance before leaving in 2015 to found Remitsy, a money transfer business using Bitcoin that was later acquired by Wyre. Richard then ran Wyre’s Asia business before recently joining Blockstream, still out of Beijing. We cover topics including the early days of Bitcoin in Beijing, OkCoin company culture, founding a Bitcoin company out of Beijing, the benefits of building a team that is aligned ideologically on the importance of Bitcoin, and the current state of Bitcoin in China. Richard on twitter @richardbensberg Blockstream on twitter @blockstream Timestamps: 00:00 – Running a Regtech company out of Asia and finding Bitcoin 9:00 – Deciding to pursue Bitcoin commercially, connecting with OkCoin and moving back to China full time, Bitcoin scene in Beijing (2014) 13:00 – Working at an early Bitcoin company in China and the Beijing Bitcoin meetup 17:00 – Managing compliance at OkCoin, competitive landscape of Bitcoin exchanges in China at the time 21:00 – Star Xu as a CEO, OkCoin Mafia, and the company culture 28:00 – Context for CCP involvement in tech companies and OkCoin at the time 34:00 – Leaving OkCoin to start Remitsy, development of Richard’s thinking about Bitcoin 41:00 – The business of Remitsy and running a company with an aligned view of Bitcoin, current thoughts on use cases for Bitcoin 45:00 – Decision and process of Remitsy’s Acquisition by Wyre 49:00 – Running Wyre’s Asia business 52:00 – Joining Blockstream, the current focus 57:00 – Thoughts on the current state of Bitcoin in China 1:01:00 – Beijing Recommendation, getting in touch

This week I'm sharing a conversation that I recorded back in April with Beatrice Zhang, one of my "First Year Friends." What's a "First Year Friend?" Listen in and I'll explain. Then, Beatrice and I talk about her journey from a small town outside of Guangzhou to her jet-setting life traveling around the world as a flight attendant, and her eventual landing in Seattle. Finally, Beatrice gives me yet another way to think of what "home" can mean, leaving me to ponder: Am I a Bostonian, a Beijinger, or both? And is that even possible?   Get in touch with comments, suggestions or interview recommendations: Twitter: @MigrationMedia_eMail: MigratoryPatterns@migrationmedia.net  Check out all of the shows in the Migration Media network on the web: www.migrationmedia.net   Please take a moment to "Like" us and leave a review on iTunes... and subscribe!

Kaiser Kuo is a household name among China watchers as host of the Sinica Podcast with Jeremy Goldkorn, a current affairs podcast that invites prominent China journalists and China-watchers to participate in uncensored discussions about Chinese political and economic affairs. Before launching the podcast, however, Kaiser was the guitarist in the Chinese heavy metal band "Tang Dynasty." Kaiser's story of China's burgeoning rock & roll scene in the late 1980s colorfully fuses the music, culture, and politics of the time to present an alternate angle on events that shaped a generation. Kaiser previously worked as director for international communications for Chinese search engine Baidu. Before that he was a technology correspondent for Red Herring magazine, and also worked as director of digital strategy, China, for Ogilvy & Mather in Beijing. He used to write a column for the foreigner-focused English-language magazine The Beijinger from 2001 to 2011, and is now a regular contributor for SupChina, which acquired the Sinica Podcast in 2016. The "Harvard on China Podcast" is hosted by James Evans at Harvard's Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. Listen and subscribe to the Harvard on China Podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and Podbean.

Michael Bristow was stationed in Beijing as the Asia Pacific editor for the BBC World Service from 2005 to 2013. He has written a book called China in Drag: Travels with a Cross-Dresser, in which he recounts his time in China — his travels, his reporting, and his myriad experiences — through the prism of his relationship with his Chinese teacher. The Teacher — who insisted on anonymity — is a Beijinger. He’s a thoughtful and educated man, and also a transvestite. Yet his transvestism is just one aspect of a many-faceted individual whose life has mirrored incredible changes in Chinese society since the Cultural Revolution. On this episode, we talk to Michael about his teacher, and what he learned about China — and about cross-dressing — while traveling through the country with this fascinating man. Recommendations: Jeremy: The Mala Market, where you can get fresh Sichuanese ingredients shipped straight to your door (in the U.S.), and the accompanying blog called Mala Project — not to be confused with the New York City restaurant of the same name, which Jeremy has previously recommended. Also, the BBC’s new West African news service in Pidgin, a form of English common in West Africa, something completely original to the BBC. Michael: The book A Whole Life, by Austrian author Robert Seethaler. It’s about an ordinary guy who lives in a valley in the Alps in Austria. Almost nothing noteworthy happens to this guy, but he’s lived a full and rich life nonetheless. Kaiser: 1MORE Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones, affordable and excellent in-ear monitors that sound infinitely better than what you’re probably using now.

Mike Wester is a 17-year American expat resident of Beijing and a veteran of five years of expatriate living in Taipei as well. In 2001 he co-founded True Run Media, which provides information and services to the internationally-minded communities in China's largest cities. TRM operates three brands – the Beijinger and beijingkids (English) and JingKids (Chinese), producing print and digital media as well as large-scale live events for each. • the Beijinger (thebeijinger.com) is the capital's top international English language information resource. Featuring the best in the city's dining, nightlife, style, arts and culture, it is a must-read city and lifestyle platform for locals and expatriates alike. • beijingkids (beijing-kids.com) is the most comprehensive English-language family resource for international English-speaking families in Beijing. • JingKids (jingkids.com) is a community-based, niche-market, multiplatform information resource for affluent parents seeking international schooling and lifestyle for their children with entirely independent editions produced in Beijing and in Shanghai. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Facebook: Michael Wester Website: True Run Media Website: The Beijinger Website: Beijingkids Website: Jingkids WeChat: mwinchina LinkedIn: True Run Media THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey. It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page. We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Mike Wester is a 17-year American expat resident of Beijing and a veteran of five years of expatriate living in Taipei as well. In 2001 he co-founded True Run Media, which provides information and services to the internationally-minded communities in China’s largest cities. TRM operates three brands – the Beijinger and beijingkids (English) and JingKids (Chinese), producing print and digital media as well as large-scale live events for each. • the Beijinger (thebeijinger.com) is the capital's top international English language information resource. Featuring the best in the city's dining, nightlife, style, arts and culture, it is a must-read city and lifestyle platform for locals and expatriates alike. • beijingkids (beijing-kids.com) is the most comprehensive English-language family resource for international English-speaking families in Beijing. • JingKids (jingkids.com) is a community-based, niche-market, multiplatform information resource for affluent parents seeking international schooling and lifestyle for their children with entirely independent editions produced in Beijing and in Shanghai. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Facebook: Michael Wester Website: True Run Media Website: The Beijinger Website: Beijingkids Website: Jingkids WeChat: mwinchina LinkedIn: True Run Media THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. Please help us make this show better by filling in this Expat Life Expat Life Survey. It will help us produce a better show for you and thanks! If you have any feedback, please leave a note in the comments section below or leave a voice message via our SpeakPipe voice message page. We would love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this please share it with your friends, family and co-workers by using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic episode updates of our podcasts. And, finally, please take a minute to leave us an honest review and rating on Apple Podcasts. They really help us out when it comes to the ranking of the show and I make it a point to read every single one of the reviews we get. Please help us spread the word and leave a review in Apple Podcasts by clicking here! Thank you for listening to Four Seas One Family. We are all the same and at the same time uniquely different!

Heyang: A photo showing actor and Beijing-native Ge You slouching on a sofa has gone viral. That posture has been nicknamed "The Beijing Slouch." Now 4 younger male celebrities have inherited the mantel and have been crowned the 4 slouchers of the capital. What is the Beijing slouch? Why do Beijingers proudly proclaim it is ours?YuYang: I guess many people have watched the "Wo Ai Wo Jia". The photo was a snapshot from "Wo Ai Wo Jia", literally meaning "I Love My Family". It's one of the oldest and most famous sitcoms in China. In this picture Ge You, was always seen slouching on the sofa and had not sat up straight once. At first, the posture was called Ge You lying, later people started to call it Beijing slouch since it's a very typical posture for Beijing natives and the photo soon gained huge popularity during the weekend. A lot of people posted photo shopped versions of the picture like Ge You dressing like the American captain, or Spiderman while doing the posture. It also became a popular meme with words like "I know I am wasting my life but I just don't want to stop." It's very interesting while Heyang, as a Beijinger, can you show people how do you do a proper Beijing slouch. Heyang: Thank you for directing that question to me.YuYang: Many people would be interested.Heyang: Well, when it comes to the Beijing slouch, it's very…Ryan: Technical.Heyang: Yeah, because you have to hear me out here. It's about you're sitting there but as if you have no bone in your body and can you imagine how comfortable that is. And also it is not just 1 posture, it is a process. So, basically what you do is you sit down on a chair or on a sofa and then you sort of just lay back, and then here comes the process: you are sliding down the sofa but your back clings to the end of the chair in 120 degrees to 180 degrees. I think that is the technical side of things and you better get it right to qualify the Beijing slouch. That is what I think and also here can I please abuse my position a little bit. I am so sorry about it, but I have to do it. Listen up everyone, you have to use the Beijing slang to describe this that is: "从椅子上出溜下去". That is when you slide down and you glide down and that is what the Beijing slouch is and I think it shows a lot of attitude, it could be 3rd world war out there but I don't give a damn.Ryan: You know, looking at this, I'm going to say something that maybe Heyang won't like here that…Heyang: What is it Ryan? Be nice.Ryan: First of all, I love Beijing, I do but to call this the Beijing slouch, I think I have been doing this slouch my whole life. When I get on a couch, especially when its comfy, I first sit on the chair or sofa then after I have secured my comfiness I decide that I want to accelerate my comfiness level, so then I slowly slouch on the sofa till my shoulders are basically almost touching the back and I make the nice little triangle that you have with your Beijing slouch. So, I am just saying guys I think this is also a slouch that is done everywhere around the world by tons of people looking to be very comfy on their couch.Heyang: Ok, could be true but I beg to differ, Ryan. Because can you make sure it's the 120 to 180 degree slouch?Ryan: Can you make sure?Heyang: Oh yeah, with my fabulous abs, I can make it whatever degree and also you know what's really essential here, that is when you are maintaining the slouch, it is pretty good exercise to the abs. Also when you finish the slouch, you need to bounce up, that's like Beijing style, bounce up effortlessly like a spring or when some guys mess it up they need to put their hand on the ground for a little support to bounce up. That's not called bounce up, that is just struggling. That doesn't qualified.Ryan: Please stay tuned for Heyang's workout video called Slouch in the Abs out. YuYang: I see you guys are both trying so hard to establish your own brands right? Heyang's slouching style and Ryan's slouching style. Actually there are the Beijing 4 slouchers of the capital. Celebrities are trying hard to establish their own brands. Netizens also found 4 famous celebrities, most born in Beijing as the top 4 Beijing slouchers who gave the best demonstrations of the posture. One is Walkie Zhang (Da Zhang Wei), he was an actor, singer, and host born in Beijing, many photos showing him slouching him on sofa or chair. It looks like he wants to show that he's a genuine Beijinger. In a TV show named: "I Go To School", he even slouches down between chairs and desks in the decorated classroom.Ryan: There's many photos of me in school slouching folks well before I got on this show but let's talk about the history of the so-called Beijing slouch. The posture can date back to the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912), in case you didn't know. The Manchu people loved to lie down on the heated brick bed after dinner even including the emperor. It is said that Emperor Qianlong loved to slouch down after dinner read books and write calligraphy. Now, that sounds really nice. I think I would be doing that, and that's why I think I have done that. It's because I think slouching is one of those human necessities we have all done but I do think it's cool that people are really enjoying this here in Beijing. It does definitely have a cultural aspect to it. I am just saying guys, everybody slouches. Yu Yang: People say this slouching posture of the Qing Dynasty with Emperor Qianlong is related to his long-life. He died at 88 years old. He was regarded as the longevity emperor in the Chinese history. People say he knew how to keep himself healthy like he always took the unprotected sleep called回笼觉. Maybe the slouching always makes him feel comfortable and relaxed after long working hours. Heyang: Interesting. But I still think that the Beijing slouch we're talking about today, the type that I have described…Ryan: 120 degree angle!Heyang: Yeah. You have to get the angle right, you know and I don't think it's the same as what the emperors used to do because I don't think they're practically flat on their heated brick beds. I don't think that is the situation at all. Actually, they have a lot of support on their back so it is slouching more like half-way what we're talking about in the contemporary sense. Maybe I've given it too much thought but I think this is an interesting way to see what the Beijing local culture is about.Ryan: Maybe, just maybe, the slouching culture has evolved and especially here in Beijing to perfect the slouch to a 120 degree angle for optimal comfort on the couch. I saw a picture of the guy that's known for the Beijing slouch, and he does look so comfortable.Heyang: There's one thing I think that I do share with Da Zhang Wei. Is he a member of the 4 slouchers of the capital? Our internet users are just so intelligent and clever. I do admire you guys so much. The part that I share with Da Zhang Wei is that yeah things evolve, technology develops. Now, everybody pretty much has a laptop and I'm a busy person, a hard worker. There are a lot of things I want to do on my laptop even in my free time that could be work-related or not. What I do? I slouch and I use my fabulous abs as a table or a desk and I put on my laptop on there and as I do stuff so yes I think the Beijing slouch has many facets to it and now it's multi-functional. Yu Yang: Is it a good way to train your abs. That's a pretty creative way, I guess.Heyang: If you want fabulous abs, I think I have some authority in it. I can only say that the slouch is conducive but it doesn't determine your abs. So if you really do want those defined abs, maybe you should follow a class that maybe I will teach in the future. Yu Yang: Wow. That's very interesting. I agree that it's a fabulous way to train your abs. It is the cultural symbol and it is also a nostalgic thing in Beijing Hutongs maybe during the hot summer time. You can see a lot of people, many old Beijingers slouched on enfolding bamboo chairs in the yard or on the Hutong streets using the big fan to keep them cool and drive mosquitos away while drinking some tea and talking to neighbors. That's a typical Beijing summer night in Hutong.Heyang: Why is it that so many of our parents especially our moms when they have been teaching us our manners as we grow up always say or often call us out and say: "Don't do that!" "Don't slouch"?Ryan: Well that's what I was going to say here is that you know you have painted this picture Heyang of like 6 pack ripped guys just slouching to the best shape of their life, but when I often see someone slouching, I often think they are lazy, not lazy but just careless, relaxing and hanging out or maybe just trying to beat the heat, not so much trying to get the 6 pack abs we all really want. You want what I mean! Also, guys I think that it's bad for your backbones and your posture overall. In fact, I was doing just a little research. Slouching often does increase your chances of back problems, i.e. scoliosis, arthritis and it also might give you that image of the "double chin" You're just so comfortable that you don't care how you look. The double chin's coming out.Heyang: I have an objection to that. Basically, yeah maybe you could be seen with the double chin, that could happen but also you create an imagery that is second to none. That is, it seems as if it's all legs below your neck. Try it out. You will see what I mean.

感谢热心听众【绿云扰-王佳云】对本文稿的贡献。Heyang: You are listening to Round Table. They pick you up for an early flight. They give you a ride home after late-night out work. The headlights of their cars warm up your heart on a windy night, and that ambiguous smell inside sends you straight to vomit hell. Let’s talk about Chinese cab drivers. This is inspired by WeChat account “Shameless”. They’ve got some good stuff there. But yeah, guys tell me more about your experience of all those years riding Chinese cabs.Ryan: Yeah, so I mean this “shameless” account breaks it down into five different categories of cab drivers. And I got to say that I definitely have a lot of stories considering this one kind of cab driver, The Raging Racer. And these guys drive fast. They are almost drifting in around corners and stops. No, I’ve never had that kind of experience. But I definitely have had cab drivers that are very aggressive drivers. And you know what? I liked it. I got to say I am a big fan of the raging racers. I remember one time I used to work on a Beijinghour we did a morning show so I’d wake up very early in the morning to get to the studio in babaoshan. (Heyang: How early was it?) Guys, I had to get up at 2:30 am, OK? (Heyang: 两点半 in the morning.) Yeah, and I live near Gulou so there is always taxi cabs there. But anyways I got one and this guy drove so fast and I ended up getting to work in the split nick of time and I was able to have a relaxing siesta on the couch before starting my shift even though at times I was a little nervous. But…..Luo Yu: Is it a bit scary for the driver to drive all the way from downtown Beijing to Babaoshan at 2:30 in the morning?Heyang: What’s scary about that? Luo Yu, let’s just let that out. Let’s just let it out. Why is it scary?Luo Yu: Because we’ve got the best cemetery here in Beijing.Heyang: Yeah, the cemetery, yeah, the graveyards.Ryan: I’ve definitely had like also what they called a road robber who wants to take you on the trip through all different areas of Beijing. So in these many mornings that I have commuted to babaoshan I have gone through many different routes. My favorite route though was of course going through the Forbidden City and Tiananmen. There was an amazing view. (Luo Yu: Is that going through?) (Heyang: Changan Avenue.) Changan Avenue, driving you through Changan Avenue is beautiful at night and I highly recommend it. But there also take like a bigillion other different ways. So apparently there is like a bigillion ways to get to babaoshan from where I live. But my favorite is Changan.Heyang: 长安街，yeah, Changan Avenue. OK, and I think talking about road robbers our listeners have something to say. PX says that there was once that you know she came back she wants to go into the city from the airport and every time the cab driver is being really really annoying and they just want to get the most money out of a trip from the airport to ……. OK, Luo YuLuo Yu: Tell me more about it. I used to live very close to Beijing Capital International Airport. You know it’s not walkable distance so I have to take a cab but I felt humiliated millions of times. Every time when I was hailing the cab and I said to the driver, “Sorry, I’m so sorry, shifu. I live nearby. I’ll give you…… ” Well, the fee is only fifteen kuai, starting fee, but I have to give him an extra twenty kuai. And he said, “Do you think twenty kuai compensation is enough?” So they don’t consider you as the valuable passenger. They just turn you down on most occasions. That’s happening a lot in a lot of cities in China.Ryan: Yeah, you know so we’ve talked about the road robber, we’ve talked about the raging racer, but there is also one that is called The Zero Sense of Direction. I’ve definitely had my fresh year though the other…… (Heyang: No way! A taxi driver should know the way, right?) The other night I was with a friend and I was coming back to my place from near like shuangjin. Anyways, I was trying to tell the cab driver, hey, like it’s north, it’s north, but for some reason he kept saying beixinqiao wherever was a complete different direction. We got very mixed up so I feel like even maybe I have the zero sense of direction. But I thought I was like spot on about where we needed to go.Heyang: Yeah, apparently the situation has only gotten worse as Uber and Didi are you know…Luo Yu: But they’ve got GIS and GPS inside the car.Heyang: Yeah, and I wonder if it’s OK. Well for me I think it’s fine if a taxi driver doesn’t know the way then just turn on the GPS. But that has changed. In the old days in Beijing when I was a little girl that was a long time ago I’d to admit. OK, I’m not that old anyway. Stop laughing at me! If you are laughing with you are forgiven. OK, alright, so bad thing it was….. I love non-local people as well alright? But back then it was all old local Beijinger taxi drivers and they would talk about as if they’ve just had dinner with Jiang Zemin or Hu Jintao the night before rubbing shoulders with them. And also they know the road and they know every shortcut through every alleyway. They can be the raging racer, too. But they know the way and that is the most important thing which I do find these days becomes increasingly a luxury that a lot of these non-local taxi drivers they just don’t know where to go.Luo Yu: They can’t even speak mandarin as they are from outside Beijing so their Putonghua is not that good.Heyang: OK, not as standardized but you know you can pretty much understand but they don’t know the way and that the most annoying thing for me. OK, most annoying thing for you.Ryan: Sometimes the music. Sometimes the music I heard some great music in cabs and I heard some music that I was very confused about. But you know I’ve noticed that there is a quite different array of music. (Luo Yu: Like 凤凰传奇, the legend of phoenix.) There are different array of music being listened to in taxi cabs which is another criterion for one of the kinds of taxi cab drivers.Heyang: Yes, definitely. And I like to finish off today’s show with Bob’ comment. He says he just scolded a taxi driver because that dude was eating instant noodles, cup instant noodles, and just threw the garbage out of the window and that’s not some behavior he can condone and I totally understand that.

Xiaohua: If you could choose your birthplace in your next life, where would you choose? A recent survey covering 34 provinces indicates that 56.3% of Chinese who participated in the survey chose somewhere different from where they were born.如果还有下辈子，你最愿意做哪里人? 零点调查公司日前发布的“全国34省市形象地图”显示，56.3%的中国人下辈子都打算换个地方投胎。大家是有多讨厌自己的家乡?So does it mean that these 56.3% people hate their where their hometown currently are? Heyang: I don’t know if they hate their current hometowns, but they certainly don’t like it enough to want to be born here or there again. And it seems like the big cities are most attractive, with Beijing being the most popular choice winning…I’m shocked by this figure with 17% of the votes. And Shanghai follows with 8.9% and Guangdong follows Shanghai’s footsteps. So these big cities probably have a better city image and also what it entails and what comes along with it…That actually influences people’s perception on what do I want to be in my next life.John: When we look at the reasons why people chose this, it had nothing to do with ‘I just don’t like my life,’ ‘I just don’t like the people,’ ‘In my hometown, the food is real crappy, it’s just so dirty blah blah blah.’ No, it has more to do with the fact that people think living in these cities that offers more opportunity. Because if you are born there, you have the hukou. It’s a very similar discussion that we had earlier in the show about allocation of resources. So really what this comes down to, I think if we look at it from a broader places people are choosing. That’s what this is about. It’s an objective ‘where can I have the best opportunity, where can my children have the best opportunity.’ These are those areas. If you break it down, 85% of participants from Sichuan chose to have the same birthplace. So you can see that even there, regionally and income wise as well, it really breaks down into some interesting results than just saying a lot of people want to move to Beijing. Because in the end, 16.8% of the Chinese population really isn’t all that much. Heyang: Yeah…But I still think maybe there’s a problem with how people see their hometowns. Maybe they are not happy with where they are at right now. I think increasingly the Chinese population, with more and more people coming into the city to live and urbanization in process, feel a detachment towards their hometowns. And maybe it’s the detachment make them feel why not choose somewhere that sounds better and seems better. And what does my hometown mean to me? Not that much! That’s something I wonder if is unique to China at this stage of development. Because I remember speaking to people from the US, the UK, and European countries, when people talk about their hometowns, it could be this tiny little town so obscure that nobody has heard of, but people speak with pride. This is more of an anecdotal observation here, but I don’t think it is all that prevalent here in China. Often people speak of ‘it’s some little town, you don’t want to know about it.’ I think it’s a very different kind of attitude. Maybe not everybody’s encountering this, but certainly some people. Xiaohua: I kind of agree with you, but I tend to agree with John a bit more. It’s probably not about your love and hate for your hometown. It’s probably about your resources. Because if you look at it, it would be great to be born as a Beijinger, as I don’t need to be affected by all these discriminatory policies any more.John: But also I think it’s really difficult asking people certain types of questions and having them give a full and comprehensive answer about their lives. Because it’s the small details we take for granted and we end up forgetting about. And when they are not there, life can get hard and we feel home sick. It’s the classic proverb: if you ask a fish about their life, the last thing they are going to tell you about is the water they are swimming in. Xiaohua: That’s interesting. So if you ask them about their hometown whether you like your hometown, maybe people will say yes. If you ask them do you want to change to another hometown, maybe they want to say no. John: It’s two very different questions.Xiaohua: Yeah, and you get two very different answers.