Podcasts about beijingers

0:00 2007年英语专业四级 新闻10:44 2007年英语专业四级 新闻21:29 2007年英语专业四级 新闻32:20 2007年英语专业四级 新闻43:03 2007年英语专业四级 新闻52007年英语专业四级 新闻1Israel's army entered the West Bank area on Tuesday to evacuate the last two Jewish settlements there.以色列军队星期二进入西岸地区，撤离最后两个犹太人定居点。This ended Israel 's decades-long occupation in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.这结束了以色列在加沙地带和西岸长达数十年的占领。Conflicts between the Israelis and Palestinians have been called a major stumbling block to Middle East peace.以色列和巴勒斯坦之间的冲突被认为是中东和平的主要绊脚石。Israel formally began the pullout operation last Monday.以色列上周一正式开始撤军行动。The Israeli Prime Minister put forward the disengagement plan in 2003.以色列总理在2003年提出了脱离计划。It asked Israel to remove all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and 4 in the West Bank.它要求以色列拆除加沙地带的全部21个定居点和河西岸的4个定居点。2007年英语专业四级 新闻2Romania and Bulgaria on Monday signed an agreement to join the European Union on January 1,2007.罗马尼亚和保加利亚于周一签署了一项协议，将于2007年1月1日加入欧盟。That would bring the number of EU states to 27.这将使欧盟成员国的数量达到27个。The agreement has to be approved by Romania and Bulgaria as well as parliaments of all 25 EU states.该协议必须得到罗马尼亚和保加利亚以及所有25个欧盟国家的议会的批准。The two states would join the 25-nationblock provided they carry out reforms.这两个国家将加入25国集团，只要他们进行改革。They need to fight corruption, strengthen border controls and improve justice, administration and state industrial support rules.他们需要打击腐败，加强边境控制，改善司法、行政和国家产业支持规则。If they do not, their membership could be delayed until 2008.如果他们不这样做，他们的成员资格将被推迟到2008年。2007年英语专业四级 新闻3An economic forum on "Opportunities in China" is expected to bring scholars, business leaders and government officials to Beijing next week.有关“中国机遇”的经济论坛预计将于下周在北京召开，届时将有学者、商界领袖和政府官员出席。More than 800 delegates are expected to attend a three-day Fortune Global Forum,which opens on Monday.预计将有800多名代表参加周一开幕的为期三天的《财富》全球论坛。More than 250 foreign companies, including 76 of the Global 500, will be represented.届时将有250多家外国公司参展，其中包括全球500强中的76家。The forum is held annually by the US'Fortune Magazine.该论坛每年由美国《财富》杂志举办一次。This would be the forum's tenth year and the third in China. Shanghai hosted it in 1999 and Hong Kong in 2001.这将是该论坛的第十个年头，也是第三次在中国举办。1999年在上海举办，2001年在香港举办。2007年英语专业四级 新闻4Hong Kong Disneyland opened on Monday with a total of 15,000 visitors.香港迪士尼乐园周一开幕，共有1.5万名游客。Visitors from the mainland accounted for one-third of the total.来自大陆的游客占总数的三分之一。Most were from Guangdong. According to a survey, more than 55% of Guangzhou residents showed interest in visiting the theme park.大多数人来自广东。根据一项调查，超过55%的广州居民表示有兴趣参观这个主题公园。Some 22% of Shanghai residents and 20%of Beijingers also said they planed to visit it.大约22%的上海居民和20%的北京人也计划去参观。Disneyland is expected to receive at least 1.5 million visitors between September and December.迪士尼乐园预计将在9月至12月期间接待至少150万游客。2007年英语专业四级 新闻5An Indonesian ferry packed with hundreds of refugees fleeing violence in the ravaged Spice Islands sank yesterday and it was not clear whether anyone had survived, rescue officials said.救援官员表示，一艘载有数百名逃离战火纷飞的香料群岛的难民印尼渡船昨日沉没，目前尚不清楚是否有人生还。Officials said the ship had a capacity of 200 passengers.有关官员说，这艘客轮的载客量为200人，but around 500 were believed to have been aboard after hundreds of refugees fought their way onto the ferry on the island of Halmahera, scene of bloody religious violence this month.但据说，在哈马黑拉岛上，数百名难民奋力登上渡轮后，大约有500人在船上，真是本月血腥的宗教暴力场面。"There were about 198 passengers and crew on top of around 290 refugees,"Selaman, head of the search and rescue team in the north Sulawesi capital of Manado, told reporters.塞拉曼，北苏拉威西岛首府万鸦老搜救队的负责人，告诉记者，“除大约290名难民外，船上大概还有198名乘客和工作人员。”

Beijingers usually have spring pancakes at the start of spring, that's what they call “a bite of spring”. Spring pancakes are not pancakes in the Western sense made from batter, but more like burritos. Here's how you eat them like a pro. # ChinasHiddenTreasures

Ahead of the Chinese New Year, we are rejiggling the podcast's format slightly. Our guest this week is Jesse Appell, a native English speaker from Boston, USA who performs stand up comedy in Mandarin and whose career started in China. This reverses our usual format of interviewing non-native English speakers who perform English stand up.Known as 艾杰西 in China, Jesse has performed on Chinese TV and apprenticed over 7 years under the late Chinese Xiang Sheng* Master 丁广泉 （Ding Guang-Quan）Having started as a Fullbright scholar researching Chinese humour and performance, Jesse has an astonishing command of the Chinese language and has in your host Kuan-wen's view picked up a lot of mannerisms of a typical Chinese speaker from Northern China.Jesse shares his experience of performing in front of Chinese audiences. He explains how he has had to adapt to their expectations, when anything he covers risks being interpreted as "What an American has got to say about China"The pandemic also unexpected forced Jesse to move back to the States, a situation that he described as "being an exile in my own country" and "no one else would believe except for the Chinese Immigrants"A bonus episode recored in Mandarin will be released on Chinese New Year's Day 21 Jan.*Xiang Sheng is a traditional performing art in Chinese comedy. See more on Xiang Sheng---------------------------------Follow Jesse on Instagram or his Youtube Channel. If you use the Chinese Weibo, you can find Jesse as @艾杰西Jesse's tea business has a separate Instagram accountFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter----------------------------------If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review.For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com----------------------------------Episode timeline00:53 Intro02:14 UK vs “Europe”? Or Rest of Europe?03:32 Jesse's impeccable accent (Beijingers like) when he speaks Mandarin07:27 Back in USA, Jesse having to deal with Americans' lack of knowledge in China (including Chinese Americans)09:30 Forced to move back to USA by accident - exiled in his own country11:33 Jesse's assessment of different comedy crowds14:43 What Jesse can and can't say as an American performing in China17:04 When an audience's expectation of a comedian is not neutral18:42 Chinese not used to meeting caucasians speaking fluent Chinese in real lives21:55 Jesse's tea business and coming to the Baltic states and to the UK ‘en route'25:54 On differences between Asians and Asian Americans; on “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”, Margaret Cho, “Fresh off the Boat” and the Vietnamese character Dong in “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”34:03 Audience not bothered by Jesse doing a thick Chinese accent34:45 Different personalities when different languages are used?38:52 Advocating doing comedy in a foreign language---------------------------------Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Winter in Beijing has come quietly. The wind is freezingly cold; leaves are withered; people shrink in thick clothes and walk in a hurry. The city becomes quiet. However, the fallen leaves rustling under people's feet, festive and cheerful songs, and the crisp sound of shared bicycles locking all constitute a different urban symphony. Let us listen to the sound of Beijing together.北京的冬季已经悄然来临。寒风泠冽，树枝枯败，人们缩在厚实的衣服中，步履匆匆。城市变得安静下来。然而，人们脚下沙沙的落叶，节日欢快的歌曲，共享单车清脆的关锁声，却又组成了不一样的城市交响乐。让我们一起来听北京的声音。The sound of fallen leaves听，落叶的声音As soon as the cold wind blew in winter, the golden leaves that had been blooming for more than a month fell one after another. A strong wind or light rain can change the season of a city. But the leaves that fell on the ground were unwilling to end their lives. Leaves in the way rustle as they are swept away. When fallen leaves in the grass are stepped on, they make a crisp sound similar to eating potato chips.冬日里的寒风一吹，绚烂了一个多月的黄叶便纷纷落下了。一场大风或细雨就能让城市换季。但落在地上的叶子却不甘落幕。挡在路上的叶子被扫去时会发出沙沙的响声。落叶在草丛中被人踏过，会发出类似于吃薯片时的脆响。The sound of holidays听，节日的声音Entering the end of the year, festivals come one after another. Christmas, New Year's Day, and Chinese New Year are not far away. Cheerful holiday songs can be heard everywhere, in the streets or shopping malls. Shops are decorated for the holidays, and the joyous atmosphere of holiday gatherings permeates the city.进入年末，多个节日接踵而来。圣诞节、元旦、农历新年都不远了。在街上或是商场，随处都能听到的欢快节日歌曲。许多商店都进行了节日装饰，放假相聚的欢乐气氛在整个城市弥漫。The sound of shared bicycles听，单车的声音There are obviously fewer people cycling in winter, but they can still be encountered on the way to work. Seeing that I was about to be late, I was very anxious. At this moment, I heard the sound of the bicycle being locked, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thank you, stranger.冬季骑车的人明显变少了，但在上班的路上总还能遇到。眼看着快迟到了，我心里非常焦急。在这时我却听到单车上锁的声音，终于舒了口气。谢谢你，陌生人。The sound of pigeons whistling听，鸽哨的声音The sound of pigeon whistling is not only the memory of Beijing, but also the nostalgia of Beijingers. For pigeons, sunshine, freedom and breeze are more worthy than food. In winter, the sound of pigeon whistling makes wanderers look forward to returning home.鸽哨是北京的记忆，也是北京人的乡愁。对于鸽子们来说，阳光、自由和微风，都比食物更值得留恋。到了冬天，鸽哨响起，更有些游子归家的期盼。来源：北京LOOKsymphony英[ˈsɪmfəni]；美[ˈsɪmfəni]n.交响乐crisp英[krɪsp]；美[krɪsp]adj.清脆的permeate英[ˈpɜːrmieɪt]；美[ˈpɜːrmieɪt]v.弥漫

The hosts of The Bridge talk about… Chinchillas? Ever wondered which animals are the most well-loved companions across cultures and continents? Why don't many Beijingers have big dogs? Listen in and learn about the pets inhabiting the homes of modern Chinese families. Can dogs cry tears of joy? Jason tries to convince Beibei to adopt a dog… Will it work? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Porta potties, blue fences, and angry old men: What does community lockdown in Beijing look like?Click here to read the article by Anthony Tao.Narrated by Anthony Tao.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Neighborhood committees pull a U-turn on using the Covid-monitoring tools following a backlash; software-maker finds itself in a censorship scandal; and Didi gets fined 4.3 million yuan for money laundering violations. Are you a big fan of our shows? Then please give our podcast account, China Business Insider, a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Today’s Essential Eight: Beijing opening back up - Beijing avoided a full lockdown and is now reporting no new cases. Party Secretary Cai Qi and his cadres look far more competent than Shanghai Party Secretary and his Shanghai bureaucrats, and Beijingers have avoided some of the worst problems of the Shanghai lockdown disaster. Shanghai is mostly reopened but there are still new cases and reports of scattered re-lockdowns.

It looks increasingly possible that Beijing may be headed for some sort of lockdown. The municipal government went from announcing testing everyone in Chaoyang District to testing almost every Beijing resident just twenty-four hours later. Beijingers tend to be pragmatic and politically sensitive, and having seen what has happened in Shanghai they are scrambling to stock up on food and essential goods

Many local Beijingers say the sound of the three-stringed lute is a nostalgic sound for them that has the magical power to remind them of the old Beijing of the 80s and 90s. The famed sanxian performer Wang Yu, a Beijing native, shares with us why the sound of the lute is symbolic of the ancient city, and brings several of his distinctive works that reflect the street scenes of Beijing in his memory.

A year before the world knew anything about COVID and Wuhan, two Philly friends decided to visit China for the first time. Listen as they tell their story of curious Beijingers, the Great Wall, hungry Shanghai tourists, and the challenges of traveling as women of color.Full episode coming soon.

This year's Mid Autumn Festival coincides with China's national day and its 'Golden Week' holiday. SCMP Political Economy editor Zhou Xin breaks down why this makes for a test of Beijing's economic strategy and political management of the pandemic; Beijing-based culture reporter Elaine Yau discusses how Beijingers are planning to celebrate their Golden Week and food reporter Bernice Chan unpacks the meaning of the iconic moon cakes, and how they are evolving - with new visions of mooncakes…

**Over 90% of foreigners in China speak ZERO Chinese?** Turns out, yes. This figure was quoted by Ilya Cheremnikh, founder of Culture Yard Chinese Language School, whom we talked to two weeks ago. That weekend we decided to do something new with the SCOLAR Talk format, grabbed our tripods, microphones, cameras and phones, and set out to Beijing hutongs to talk to the Russian Israeli businessman and a Chinese language teacher, the main hero of our episode today.  Ilya's story is an interesting one: born in Russia, Saint Petersburg, he moved to Jerusalem in his childhood and reached China more than a decade ago to start a language school. We had lots of questions to ask from our guest – who was simultaneously "hosting" us in the cosy corner of the narrow-alleyed hutongs in central Beijing, where every day he is relentlessly working to reach his dream of "teaching Chinese language through culture".  The product of our experiment is a 25-minute video interview, where Ilya is sharing his and Culture Yard's stories, rewinds back to his university days when he first got interested in China & the Chinese language, explains how he came up with the idea of having a language school, and shares the experience of setting up a small business in Beijing. You can find the video interview on our SCOLAR Academy YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fNWE6TPrWs Please put a like if you enjoy watching it, subscribe to show your support and get updates on our new videos, and send us your thoughts and comments! Culture Yard website: http://cultureyard.net/ Contact details: Address: 10 Shique Hutong, Beijing Phone: 010-84044166 Email: contact@cultureyard.net *Episode Transcript:* **Olim Alimov, Host (Olim):** Ilya, where are we? *Илья, где мы?* **Ilya Cheremnikh, Culture Yard (Ilya):** we are in Culture Yard. In the center of Beijing, in the middle of the Beijing hutongs. Culture Yard is a Chinese Language School and at the same time a Chinese cultural center. Basically, what we used to do before the Corona, we organized many events, lectures, Chinese film screenings, and Chinese language classes. A big part of them is that classes are very practical. We mostly teach people around different topics that can help them in their daily life, as well as [prepare] for the HSK exam. Nowadays most of our classes are online, because that's where Corona has brought us. Now we're doing a bit of a similar thing where we teach people from all around the world in groups in an online live setting. *Мы в Culture Yard. В центре Пекина, посреди пекинских хутунов. Culture Yard является школой китайского языка и одновременно центром изучения китайской культуры. По сути, до коронавируса мы организовали много мероприятий, лекций, китайских кинопоказов и уроков китайского языка. Фишка уроков в том, что занятия очень практичны. В основном мы обучаем людей различным темам, которые могут помочь им в их повседневной жизни, а также готовим их к экзамену HSK. В настоящее время большинство наших классов проводятся онлайн – Корона нас сюда привела. Сейчас мы учим людей со всего мира в группах в режиме онлайн.* **Olim:** why hutong? *Почему хутуны?* **Ilya:** hutong, for me, is the historic centre of Beijing, the capital of China. And if you look – up until 50-60 years ago, this is what Beijing used to look like. And it still preserved a lot of that feeling, that culture. I also really like the felling that it's low-rises, [there are] a lot of historic places, a lot of old Beijingers who live here. When you are based in this environment, you don't feel the modern side of Beijing, you're still connected to the roots of the capital. You still see the old people living their lives like they used to – they have

Over 90% of foreigners in China speak ZERO Chinese? Turns out, yes. This figure was quoted by Ilya Cheremnikh, founder of Culture Yard Chinese Language School, whom we talked to two weeks ago. That weekend we decided to do something new with the SCOLAR Talk format, grabbed our tripods, microphones, cameras and phones, and set out to Beijing hutongs to talk to the Russian Israeli businessman and a Chinese language teacher, the main hero of our episode today. Ilya's story is an interesting one: born in Russia, Saint Petersburg, he moved to Jerusalem in his childhood and reached China more than a decade ago to start a language school. We had lots of questions to ask from our guest – who was simultaneously "hosting" us in the cosy corner of the narrow-alleyed hutongs in central Beijing, where every day he is relentlessly working to reach his dream of "teaching Chinese language through culture". The product of our experiment is a 25-minute video interview, where Ilya is sharing his and Culture Yard's stories, rewinds back to his university days when he first got interested in China & the Chinese language, explains how he came up with the idea of having a language school, and shares the experience of setting up a small business in Beijing. You can find the video interview on our SCOLAR Academy YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fNWE6TPrWs Please put a like if you enjoy watching it, subscribe to show your support and get updates on our new videos, and send us your thoughts and comments! Culture Yard website: http://cultureyard.net/ Contact details: Address: 10 Shique Hutong, Beijing Phone: 010-84044166 Email: contact@cultureyard.net Episode Transcript: Olim Alimov, Host (Olim): Ilya, where are we? Илья, где мы? Ilya Cheremnikh, Culture Yard (Ilya): we are in Culture Yard. In the center of Beijing, in the middle of the Beijing hutongs. Culture Yard is a Chinese Language School and at the same time a Chinese cultural center. Basically, what we used to do before the Corona, we organized many events, lectures, Chinese film screenings, and Chinese language classes. A big part of them is that classes are very practical. We mostly teach people around different topics that can help them in their daily life, as well as [prepare] for the HSK exam. Nowadays most of our classes are online, because that’s where Corona has brought us. Now we're doing a bit of a similar thing where we teach people from all around the world in groups in an online live setting. Мы в Culture Yard. В центре Пекина, посреди пекинских хутунов. Culture Yard является школой китайского языка и одновременно центром изучения китайской культуры. По сути, до коронавируса мы организовали много мероприятий, лекций, китайских кинопоказов и уроков китайского языка. Фишка уроков в том, что занятия очень практичны. В основном мы обучаем людей различным темам, которые могут помочь им в их повседневной жизни, а также готовим их к экзамену HSK. В настоящее время большинство наших классов проводятся онлайн – Корона нас сюда привела. Сейчас мы учим людей со всего мира в группах в режиме онлайн. Olim: why hutong? Почему хутуны? Ilya: hutong, for me, is the historic centre of Beijing, the capital of China. And if you look – up until 50-60 years ago, this is what Beijing used to look like. And it still preserved a lot of that feeling, that culture. I also really like the felling that it’s low-rises, [there are] a lot of historic places, a lot of old Beijingers who live here. When you are based in this environment, you don’t feel the modern side of Beijing, you’re still connected to the roots of the capital. You still see the old people living their lives like they used to – they have little markets, people grow their own pigeons. This is a big part of the experience for the people who live here, who study here. Being in this area, absorbing it and being part of this historic city. Хутуны для меня являются историческим центром Пекина, столицы Китая. Если так посмотреть - 50-60 лет назад именно так и выглядел Пекин. И здесь все еще царит именно этот духа, чувствуется эта культура. Мне также очень нравится, что есть много малоэтажек, [есть] много исторических мест, много старых пекинцев, которые живут здесь. Когда вы находитесь в этой среде, вы не видите современную сторону Пекина. Вы как бы все еще связаны с корнями столицы. Вы видите, как старики живут своей жизнью, так же, как раньше - со своими маленькими магазинчиками, выращивая своих голубей. Это большая часть опыта для тех людей, которые здесь живут, учатся – быть частью этого исторического города. Olim: now, in your offline classes, do you have sessions with your students where you go out and talk to the locals here? В рамках уроков в офлайн режиме, у вас есть занятия с вашими учениками, где вы выходите на улицу и разговариваете здесь с местными жителями? Ilya: we have a part of our course which called "Survival Chinese". We have a few different modules where we study in the classroom and then we go out. So there is one [module] where we teach people how to shop and bargain, and then we go to the local vegetable market, and they talk to people and practice their Chinese. We have a different one for ordering food in the restaurant, and also we to the local hutong restaurant, and they talk to the people on the road, and we go to the restaurant and then students are trying to order food in Chinese. So we are trying to build it into the experience. У нас есть часть нашего курса, которая называется «Китайский для выживания». Есть несколько разных модулей, где мы учимся в классе, а затем выходим на улицу. Например, есть один [модуль], где мы учим людей, как совершать покупки на торговаться, а затем мы идем на местный овощной рынок, и они разговаривают с людьми и практикуют свой китайском языке. Сначала мы изучаем нужные вещи в классноцй комнате, а затем идем в ресторан, где студенты пытаются заказать еду на китайском языке. Наша цель – сделать такую практику частью учебного опыта. Olim: you have had this business for, what, 10 years now? Этому бизнесу уже 10 лет, так? Ilya: yes, a bit over 10 years. Да. чуть больше 10. Olim: in 10 years, what was the most surprising student who came with zero Chinese, and now you see this person doing – what? за 10 лет какой студент больше всего удивил? Кто-то, кто пришел бы с нулевым китайским , а теперь этот человек делает... - что? Ilya: I can give you a couple of examples that I remember. One is a Dutch lady. She came here with her husband. So he came for the job, and she didn’t know what to do with her time. She decided to see if she could learn some Chinese. She loved it. She went from nothing to (if you’re familiar with the HSK) HSK 5, and then they moved to Suzhou, and now she’s managing a factory – completely in Chinese. We’ve had some journalists who came here with no Chinese, they would only work in English with a translator, and now they can take their interviews in Chinese. There are a lot of interesting stories. A good friend of mine, actually, came here with no Chinese, and then he started a real estate business after studying with us. Я могу привести пару примеров, которые я помню. Была одна леди из Голландии. Она приехала сюда со своим мужем. Он приехал в Китай работать, а она не знала, чем занять свое время. Она решила посмотреть, сможет ли она выучить немного китайского. Ей очень понравилось. Она, так сказать, выросла с совершенного нуля к (если вы знакомы с классификацией уровней HSK) HSK 5. Затем они переехали в Сучжоу, и теперь она руководит заводом - полностью на китайском языке. У нас было несколько журналистов, которые приходили сюда без китайского языка, они работали только на английском языке с переводчиком, и теперь могут спокойно брать интервью на китайском языке. Здесь бывает много интересных историй. Мой хороший друг приехал в Китай без языка, а потом он начал заниматься недвижимостью, после обучения с нами. Olim: so, in theory, you must be killing now – this is the best time for online classes. True or false? Теоретически, сейчас у вас с бизнесом должно быть все хорошо - сейчас лучшее время для онлайн-классов. Правда или ложь? Ilya: true. правда. Olim: if you compare July 2020 to July 2019 – what does the curve look like? Если сравнивать июль 2020 года и июль 2019, как выглядит эта кривая роста? Ilya: I would say, it’s comparable. It’s not better, nor worse – don’t forget that in February with started online from zero. But for me it’s good, because we’ve built a completely new business from nothing in, what, 5 months? At the moment is bringing just as much as what we did before with all of our offline stuff. Я бы сказал, это сопоставимо, но не лучше и не хуже - не забывайте, что в феврале мы начали онлайн занятия с нуля. Но для меня это хороший результат, потому что мы построили совершенно новую бизнес-модель из ничего, за... 5 месяцев? На данный момент то, что мы делаем, приносит столько же дохода, сколько мы получали раньше со всеми нашими офлайн-мероприятиями. Olim: let’s go back to when and why you started all this. You are originally from Saint Petersburg, Russia, then at the age of 8 you moved to Israel, Jerusalem. And then, in 2009 you moved to China. Why did you start studying Chinese in Israel and why did you move to China and began teaching Chinese to foreigners here? What was the process like and what was the thought process like behind those actions? Давайте вернемся к тому, когда и почему вы начали все это. Вы родом из Санкт-Петербурга в России, затем в возрасте 8 лет вы переехали в Израиль, Иерусалим. А потом, в 2009 году вы переехали в Китай. Почему вы начали изучать китайский язык в Израиле и почему вы переехали в Китай и начали преподавать здесь иностранцам китайский язык? Каков был процесс и каков был мыслительный процесс за этими действиями? Ilya: I actually started learning Chinese completely by accident. I was at the university, I didn’t like one of my two majors and I wanted to switch to a different major. And I was looking for something that would feel more practical and challenging. And I saw people in the library every day sitting and writing characters. And I thought: you know what? Learning a language that is a difficult language – or is considered a difficult language – will give me something that I can use in the world. Something that is tangible. So I started learning Chinese at the university, I did a Bachelors degree in Chinese studies. And during my studies I first came to China just for a visit to see what it’s like, because I didn’t know anything besides what was learning at the university. And I came here for a summer, for a couple of months. I completely fell in love, and I was […] so fascinated by this place, and the culture, and the language, and the landscapes. I was in Shanghai, and you know – [you see both] the skyscrapers and the rice fields. I was like: as soon as I’m done with my studies, I’m going to move to China. But then I arrived here and I couldn’t speak a word because I never spoke to anyone. There were no Chinese in Israel at that time, ... На самом деле я начал изучать китайский совершенно случайно. Я учился в университете, мне не нравилась одна из двух специальностей, и я хотел перейти на другую специальность. Я искал что-то более практичное. Каждый день я видел в библиотеке людей, пишущих иероглифы. И я подумал: а что? Изучение языка, который является (или считается) сложным языком даст мне что-то, что я смогу использовать на деле. Что-то осязаемое. Так что я начал изучать китайский язык в университете, получил степень бакалавра китаистики. И во время учебы я впервые приехал в Китай просто для того, чтобы посмотреть, что это за страна. Потому что я ничего не знал о ней кроме того, что учил в университете. И я приехал сюда на лето, на пару месяцев. Я полностью влюбился, и я был [...] настолько очарован этим местом, и культурой, и языком, и пейзажами. Я был в Шанхае, и вы знаете - [вы видите одновременно] небоскребы и рисовые поля. Я подумал: как только закончу учебу, перееду в Китай. Но потом я приехал сюда и не мог произнести ни слова, потому что никогда ни с кем не разговаривал. В то время в Израиле не было китайцев, ... Olim: especially coming here and speaking the Beijing hua, right? [imitates the local Beijing dialect with a lot of “r" sounds] особенно если речь идет о пекинском диалекте, да? [подражает местному пекинскому диалекту с большим количеством звуков «г/р»] Ilya: or even worse – I was in Shanghai, and they switch to their own language, to the Shanghai hua. And I’m like... или даже хуже - я был в Шанхае, и они переключаются на свой собственный язык, на шанхайский "хуа". И я такой думаю ... Olim (laughs): .. "where am I? What did I study for the past 4 years?" "Где я? Что я изучал последние 4 года?" Ilya: exactly. My point was: OK, I come here and I want to study more. So I did 3 more semesters in China. In one small university in Beijing, in Donghua University in Shanghai, and in Qingdao University in Qingdao. And all [three] universities are considered quite good universities, but when I was studying [it was] pretty much the teacher speaking and you taking notes. Even Spoken Chinese class meant was that you had a book called “Spoken Chinese”. But there wasn’t much speaking in the class. And for me this is not what language teaching/learning is all about. For me, learning a language is – one, you learn stuff that helps you in your everyday life or helps you, let’s say, in your job. So, let’s say, you’re now doing business – so learn things that have to do with your business. Or if you’ve just moved to China, you need to know how to talk to your neighbour or buy things in a shop. And you need to have a lot of practice in class, you need to speak a lot, to build up those speaking abilities, because that’s what most people want to do. And I didn’t really get it, not in my studies in Israel, nor in my studies here in China. So this was my main motivation: "you know what, let me try to do something a little bit different". Именно. Мой план был такой: я приехал сюда и хочу больше учиться. Так, я провел еще 3 семестра, учась в Китае: в одном небольшом университете в Пекине, в университете Донхуа в Шанхае и в циндаоском университете в Циндао. И все [три] университета считаются довольно хорошими заведениями, но когда я учился, [в основном] модель обучения была такая, что говорил учитель, а вы записывали что-то. Даже урок разговорного китайского языка означал, что у вас есть книга под названием «Разговорный китайский». Но в классе говорили мало. Для меня это совсем не то, что из себя должно представлять преподавание / изучение языка. Для меня изучение языка - это изучение того, что помогает вам в повседневной жизни или, скажем, в вашей работе. Итак, допустим, вы сейчас занимаетесь бизнесом, поэтому изучаете вещи, которые имеют отношение к вашему бизнесу. Или, если вы только что переехали в Китай, вам нужно знать, как разговаривать с соседом или покупать вещи в магазине. И надо много практиковаться в классе, нужно много говорить, чтобы практиковать эти разговорные навыки – это то, что большинство людей хотят делать. И я действительно не получил такого опыта, ни во время моей учебы в Израиле, ни здесь, в китайских университетах. Так что это было моей главной мотивацией: принести что-то новое в преподавание киатйского. Olim: but it’s one thing to come here, to experience life, to study a bit of Chinese, and a completely another thing to start a business. Tell me about the process of beginning a business in China, especially in the field of education, and tell me what your first 5 years looked like.Но одно дело - приехать сюда, пожить в Китае, немного изучить китайский язык, и совсем другое - начать бизнес. Расскажи мне о том, как начать бизнес в Китае, особенно в сфере образования, и расскажи, как выглядели твои первые 5 лет после основания школы. Ilya: I was lucky to be young and stupid enough to not think too much when I was starting a business.Мне повезло быть молодым и достаточно глупым, чтобы не думать слишком много, когда я начинал бизнес. Olim: lesson No. 1: Be young & stupid. And don’t think too much. Урок № 1: Будь молодым и глупым. И не думай слишком много. Ilya (laughs): Because when you’re young and stupid, you’re just like: OK, I’m starting a business, that’s it. Then you just find out what is the process, how you register. That time a Chinese friend was helping me, we looked online – literally, we were looking online: where do I go? We went to the Dongcheng Bureau of Commerce, because that’s where you need to go to register your business. So we went there, and I was like: “I want to start a business”. Потому что, когда вы молоды и глупы, вы просто говорите себе: ОК, я начинаю бизнес, вот и все. Потом вы просто узнаете, что это за процесс, как зарегистрироваться, и т.д. В то время мне помогал друг из Китая, мы искали онлайн - буквально: куда нам надо идти? Мы пошли в торговое бюро в районе Dongcheng, потому что именно туда нужно пойти, чтобы зарегистрировать бизнес. Мы пошли туда, и я сказал: «Я хочу начать бизнес». Olim: nobody goes there! (laughs). Никто вообще туда не ходит! Ilya (also laughs): I went there. And I was like “so, what do I need to do?”. I think even now foreigners don’t actually go to those places. А я пошел и спросил: "Так что мне надо делать?". Я думаю, что даже сейчас иностранцы не ходят туда. Olim: exactly. They hire an agent! Именно. Они просто нанимают агента! Ilya: But then I didn’t have a lot money, I wanted to save a little bit, so I thought: well, what’s the problem? I’ll just go and do it myself. They were extremely nice. I was getting a lot of help in Beijing from the government officials. All along the way they were guiding me, giving me these long lists of things to do. First, you need to come up with a name, then you need to open a Chinese bank account. At that time you had to transfer money from abroad to a Chinese bank account. Но тогда у меня не было много денег, я хотел немного сэкономить, поэтому я подумал: ну, в чем проблема? Я просто пойду и сделаю это сам. Они (работники) отнеслись ко мне очень хорошо. Я получал большую поддержку в Пекине от правительственных органов. Все это время они направляли меня, давали мне длинные списки тех вещей, которые нужно сделать. Сначала нужно придумать имя для предприятия, затем нужно открыть счет в китайском банке... В то время вам надо было переводить деньги из-за границы на китайский банковский счет. Olim: because you actually registered a WFOE (Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise – ed.). потому что вы на самом деле зарегистрировали WFOE (полностью находящееся в иностранной собственности предприятие - ред.). Ilya: I registered a WFOE. Да, я зарегистрировал WFOE. Olim: you finished with the registration, and then you actually started the business? Вы закончили с регистрацией, а потом фактически начали бизнес? Ilya: I was doing it at the same time. Я это делала одновременно. Olim: you already had students? Тогда уже были студенты? Ilya: no, I had this space. Because you need to have a place to register a business on. Нет, но я уже арендовал это место. Потому что бизнес надо зарегистрировать на конкретный адрес. Olim: this place (points at the Culture Yard premises)? Вот это самое место? Ilya: yes. Part of the registration is – you need to have a space, but the registration is not over then. So it’s still going on, you’re registering, but I already have the space, I’m paying rent. And I asked them at the Bureau of Commerce: what happens if I already start? And they were like: of course, as long as you’re in the process of registration, nobody would care. And that’s 2009. I moved to China in early 2008, with the business – late 2009 we already started the process of registration. So around that time we started having our first classes here. Да. Требование для регистрации - у вас должно быть место, но на этом регистрация не окончена. Так что все еще продолжается. Но у меня уже было место, я платил за аренду. И я спросил их в Торговом бюро: что будет, если я уже начну вести бизнес? И они сказли: конечно, без проблем, если вы уже в процессе регистрации, ни у кого не возникнет проблем по этому поводу. Это было в 2009 году. Я переехал в Китай в начале 2008 года - в конце 2009 года мы уже начали регистрировать школу. Примерно в это же время у нас начались первые занятия. Olim: what’s your favorite restaurant here? Как у вас тут любимый ресторан? Ilya: I have quite a few, a lot of favorite restaurants.Есть несколько любимых мест. Olim: what’s the one that you go to, and you know what you order, and the owner knows you? Есть такой, куда вы идете и знаете, что будете заказывать, а владелец знает вас? Ilya: there is one that I’ve been recently going to. It’s a little kind of BBQ place, five minute walk north from here. I once criticized them that their cucumber dish that I really like wasn't fresh enough. And since I’ve done it, every time a very old father of the owner shouts from behind: “The cucumbers are fresh today!” Есть один, куда я хожу с недавних пор. Это маленькое место по типу барбекю, в пяти минутах ходьбы к северу отсюда. Однажды я критиковал их за то, что их огуречное блюдо, которое мне действительно нравится, было недостаточно свежим. И с тех пор как я это сделал, каждый раз очень старый отец хозяина кричит сзади: «Огурцы сегодня свежие!» (Both laugh). Оба смеются Olim: so you’ve started 10 years ago. You had 1-3 students, but you already had the cost of the rent. Probably it was 50-70% of what it is today, but nevertheless you had a lot of cost. How long did it take you to get your ROI (Return on Investment – ed.) back? Вы начали 10 лет назад. У вас было 1-3 студента, но уже надо было платить стоимость аренды. Вероятно, это было 50-70% от сегодняшней стоимости, но тем не менее было много затрат. Сколько времени вам понадобилось, чтобы вернуть ROI (возврат инвестиций - ред.)? Ilya: honestly, it was a bit of a roller-coaster. We had periods, already quite early on, when we were doing quite well. But then I wouldn’t be careful with my costs, and I would maybe hire too many people, and there wouldn’t be enough income coming in, and it would fail again. I had a lot of struggle to survive. Честно говоря, это было что-то вроде американских горок. У нас были периоды, уже на довольной ранней стадии, когда все было хорошо. Но я иногда был неосторожен с расходами, и, например, нанимал слишком много людей. Потом не было достаточно доходов, и мы снова были на грани провала. Надо было много бороться, чтобы выжить. Olim: was there a point when you said: I’d better quit? Были ли моменты, когда вы думали: все, лучше это бросить? Ilya: more than once. Not because I didn’t believe in myself, but because I was tired, and I was like: “What’s the point?”. I’ve been doing this, and it’s not completely working how I want it to work, and I’m just tired. Let’s go do something else, let’s find a job. I had those moments. И даже не один раз. Не потому, что я не верил в себя, а потому, что устал, и думал «какой в этом смысл?». Я вкладывал в это усилия, и все работало не совсем так, как я планировал, и я просто устал. Думал: может, займусь чем-нибудь другим, найду работу. У меня были такие моменты. Olim: what did you actually do to overcome those moments? Что вы сделали, чтобы преодолеть эти моменты? Ilya: it’s kind of funny: my low moments, mentally, were not when the business was doing extremely bad. When the business is doing bad, I don’t think. I go and I just do everything myself. I had a period when for 6 months I couldn’t afford any admin personnel, so I was doing everything. I was here since 7 in the morning until 10 in the evening, pretty much 7 days a week. My moment going down was after that was over, and the business was already ok, and I was like: so, what now? I’m tired, I’ve been working so hard. So it’s more about when I have time to think, but it’s not a moment of growth. Things are kind of just OK. That’s when I get a little bit low, not when we’re doing bad. Довольно забавная вещь: мои испытывающие моменты были не тогда, когда дела шли очень плохо. Когда дела идут плохо, я много не думаю. Я просто иду и все делаю сам. У меня был период, когда в течение 6 месяцев я не мог позволить нанять административный персонал, поэтому я делал все сам. Я был тут в офисе с 7 утра до 10 вечера, почти 7 дней в неделю. Мой момент "стушевания" наступил после того, как этот период прошел. Дела уже шли хорошо, и я думал: так, и что теперь? Я устал, я так много работал. Так что тут речь идет о моментах, когда у меня есть время на раздумия, но это происходит не в момент роста в бизнесе. Все вроде нормально. И именно тогда бывает сложно, а не тогда, когда дела идет плохо. Olim: when you’re doing bad you’re on a cruise control. Когда все плохо, вы на круиз-контроле Ilya: exactly. Именно так. Olim: everybody says that Chinese is No. 2 language in the world to study. Do the numbers agree with that premise? Все говорят, что китайский язык – это язык № 2 в мире для изучения. Пожтверждают ли цифры это заявление? Ilya: yes and no. Majority of people who study Chinese, they study it before coming to China. And two, over 90% of foreigners in China speak zero Chinese. Not basic Chinese – zero Chinese. In Shanghai we see it very strongly. So for me, I see my job as educating people that it’s a fun language to learn. Actually, at the beginning it is very easy to get your basics – to have those basic conversations is an easy thing to do, not a scary thing to do. Because the grammar is very simple in Chinese. Because the second you start speaking, you’re like: “Hey, this is amazing! I’m speaking Chinese!" И да и нет. Во-первых, большинство людей, которые изучают китайский язык, изучают его до приезда в Китай. Во-вторых, более 90% иностранцев в Китае вообще не знают китайского. У них не базовый китайский - это нулевой китайский. В Шанхае это очень хорошо прослеживается. Так что я вижу свою работу в том, чтобы показывать людям, что это забавный язык для изучения. На самом деле, в начале очень легко получить базовые знания - провести эти базовые разговоры легко, а не страшно. Потому что грамматика очень проста на китайском языке. Потому что, как только вы начинаете говорить, вы говорите: «Эй, это потрясающе! Я говорю по-китайски! Olim: it’s true (laughs). "Mum, look at me! Hear me say". Да, именно (смеется). "Мам, посмотри! Послушай! Ilya: exactly. Именно. Olim: what is Beijing for you? Что для вас значит Пекин? Ilya (thinks): home? I Think. Думаю, дом. Olim: what is home? Что такое "дом"? Ilya: home is where my roots are. My friends, my partner, my connections, my favorite coffee shop... All of it is here now. Дом – это где мои "корни". Мои друзья, моя партнер, мой круг знакомых, любимая кафейня. Все это сейчас здесь. Olim: is Beijing hutong or is Beijing Guomao (a busy area in the eastern part of central Beijing with many commercial offices and shopping malls)? Пекин - это хутуны или Гуомао (оживленный район в восточной части центрального Пекина со множеством коммерческих офисов и торговых центров)? Ilya: it’s everything. I personally love the hutongs because it is my base, but I go out of this base. I go to all parts of the city, but I like coming here in the evening and having this village-like ## atmosphere. Knowing my neighbors, goin to my little Hutong restaurants. Пекин – это все сразу. Я лично люблю хутуны, потому что я здесь базируюсь. Но я выхожу из хутунов во все районы города. При этом мне нравится возвращаться сюда вечером в такую деревенскую атмосферу. Где ты знаешь своих соседей и можешь сходить в родные маленькие рестораны.

This week, Kaiser is joined by Nury Turkel of the Uyghur Human Rights Project in an in-depth conversation with Wu'er Kaixi (Örkesh Dölet), best known as one of the student leaders in the Tiananmen protests that rocked Beijing 30 years ago. He talks about the heady intellectual freedom of the 1980s, the movement's goals in 1989, the frustrations of exile, and his growing involvement in the Uyghur diaspora's efforts to draw attention to Beijing's draconian detentions of Uyghurs and other Muslims in China's Xinjiang region. What to listen for on this week’s Sinica Podcast: 17:41: Nury references a movement that is often overlooked in the context of late 20th century democratic movements around the world that served as an inspiration for the Tiananmen student movements: “In 1989, we were imitating Poland. That’s a very important reference that the world should know. What happened in 1989 feels like the Solidarity movement in Poland. We saw it [come] along step by step, and it was very inspiring.” 25:34: Nury describes the dramatic scene of several hundred thousand university students from local colleges marching a circuit around the second ring road that encircles the center of Beijing: “When we took the ring road — I mean, 100,000 students took the ring road… what’s more exciting is the people standing by on the two sides of the ring road. [They were] Beijingers. Their support is the [thing] that gave us all the confidence. [There had] to be half a million people there that day.” 59:02: Nury asks Kaixi about inaction on behalf of both Muslim and Western governments regarding the ongoing internment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang province. He responds: “The real reason the Uyghur movement has not been on the map — there are many, many factors that contribute to that: Number one, unfortunately, Uyghur people [follow] an Islamic faith. Let’s look at this with all honesty. Today’s world [is] not that honest. Today’s world is not that courageous. We don’t live in a perfect world. And the Western world finds it much more convenient to neglect the Uyghur movement.”

【凌晨四点的洛杉矶算什么？报告显示：北京早高峰从5点就开始了……】 Beijing's rush hour starts at 5 a.m. with a high demand for taxis at such an early hour, according to a big data survey on what mobile apps are used at certain times of the day. People living in Beijing face long commutes, in both distance and time, especially for those living on the outskirts of the city. The average distance and time spent on the road in the Chinese capital rank the highest nationwide. On average, Beijingers travel approximately 26 kilometers and spend nearly two hours commuting every day.根据移动应用程序所使用的时间数据显示，北京早高峰从5点就开始了，因为从这点开始对出租车的需求量已经非常大了。住在北京的人们不论是通勤时间还是距离都很长，特别是住在市郊的人们。在北京的上班族是全国花费在上下班时间最多的人。平均每个北京上班族每天的通勤距离大约就要26千米，花费将近2个小时。1.rush hour〔上下班的〕高峰时间，交通拥挤时间Eg：the morning rush hour早高峰Eg：the evening rush hour晚高峰2.a high demand for  对……需求量大Eg：a high demand for special education teachers特殊教育领域的老师需求量很大3.commute/kə'mjuːt/长途上下班，通勤Eg：My morning commute takes 45 minutes.我早上上班路程要花45分钟。4.outskirt /'aʊtskɜːt/市郊，郊区=suburbEg：the outskirt of the city市郊5.rank/ræŋk/给…排名;名列ranking 排名Eg：The student who ranks first in the test could get a great prize.测试拿第一的同学可以得到丰厚的奖励。6. on average  /'æv(ə)rɪdʒ/平均Eg：According to researches, on average, people spend three hours a day on their phone.根据研究显示，人们平均用三个小时的手机。7. approximately /ə'prɒksɪmətlɪ/ 大约·approximately = roughly = aboutEg：Each of our show lasts approximately 7 minutes.我们的每一期节目时长大约为7分钟。 

Welcome to the 15th installment of the Caixin-Sinica Business Brief, a weekly podcast that brings you the most important business stories of the week from China's top source for business and financial news. Produced by Kaiser Kuo of our Sinica Podcast, it includes a business news roundup, conversations with Caixin reporters and editors, and a selection of complete stories from the week's news, read by Kaiser and Sinica rotating co-host Ada Shen. This week, we hear how R&F Properties replaced rival Sunac China Holdings to purchase over 70 Wanda Group hotels. We examine the news of the Chaoyang District Police announcing they will hire 2,400 native Beijingers to conduct door-to-door “safety” checks on the city's migrant residents. We look at how beleaguered tech company LeEco defaulted on a $75 million bond that was due on July 7. We discuss China's Ministry of Environmental Protection banning imports of solid waste by the end of this year. We learn about China unveiling a national development plan for artificial intelligence industries, outlining ambitions to become a world leader in AI by 2025. We talk to Caixin senior finance reporter Aries Poon about the significance of the recent National Financial Work Conference, and we chat with Caixin senior editor Doug Young about the vexing phenomenon of flight delays in China. In addition, we bring you five complete stories: How Chinese students studying overseas — over half a million of them — are spending over 56 billion dollars annually. How a newly reached agricultural agreement between China and the U.S. may result in U.S.-grown rice being imported into China. How Red Bull's business in China — where a local partner is at the end of a 20-year lease agreement and there's now wrangling over trademark rights — will fare while Red Bull's big rival in the energy drink industry, Monster, tries to muscle in. How a primary school in Zhejiang has landed itself in trouble for requesting background checks only for migrant parents in a policy seen as discriminatory. The life of Zhang Zhongpei, the long-serving director of Beijing's Palace Museum, who died at the age of 83. We'd love to hear your feedback on this product. Please send any comments and suggestions to sinica@supchina.com.

Health concerns from food safety scares have compelled some Beijingers to buy imported food. Erica Huang wants to buck that trend by making safe, sustainable food and other products accessible to urban residents of Beijing.   This episode features our conversation with Erica, the founder of Farm to Neighbors, a weekly market that brings together local farmers and other entrepreneurs to sell goods produced using sustainable and eco-friendly practices. We learn about the challenges of organic certification in China and about a wave of “new farmers” – young, educated entrepreneurs who want to ditch cities for farmland.  The Farm to Neighbors market operates on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Grand Summit in Liangmaqiao. You can learn more about F2N by following their WeChat account: farm2neighbors. We apologize that the audio quality is still not 100% perfect. The problem has since been fixed.

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.

更多信息看周三微信第二条~We've all heard of Kung Fu masters Bruce Lee, Jet Lee and Jackie Chan. So if we know those three, the Chinese must know a lot more, right?Well, while they could maybe add Donnie Yen, Wu Jing, and Kung Fu Panda to the list, when it comes to Beijingers busting a few Kung Fu moves, forget it! That's definitely a myth.According to legend, Chinese martial arts originated over 4000 years ago. One of the earliest mentions of Shaolin Kung Fu is from the 7th century when it was used to defend the Shaolin Monastery.Today, many forms of Chinese Kung Fu are based on northern and southern styles, the first emphasizing powerful kicks and jumps and the second arm strength and fancy footwork.

更多信息看周三微信第二条~We've all heard of Kung Fu masters Bruce Lee, Jet Lee and Jackie Chan. So if we know those three, the Chinese must know a lot more, right?Well, while they could maybe add Donnie Yen, Wu Jing, and Kung Fu Panda to the list, when it comes to Beijingers busting a few Kung Fu moves, forget it! That's definitely a myth.According to legend, Chinese martial arts originated over 4000 years ago. One of the earliest mentions of Shaolin Kung Fu is from the 7th century when it was used to defend the Shaolin Monastery.Today, many forms of Chinese Kung Fu are based on northern and southern styles, the first emphasizing powerful kicks and jumps and the second arm strength and fancy footwork.

Here is some good news for Beijingers. Government employees and students in the capital will enjoy a six-day holiday as the city hosts this year's APEC, or Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' summit.

Xiaohua: A survey of 54,000 travelers by the online travel guide TripAdvisor said Beijing trails only Moscow when it comes to the unhelpfulness of its locals, the unfriendliness of its taxi drivers and the poor quality of its taxi services. So are these claims true? Liuyan: I don’t know, because I don’t feel like Beijing taxis are that bad. I mean, at least the ones that I have taken. The drivers are usually very talkative. So, just in that sense alone, I wouldn’t say that they are acting like: Oh, who are you? I don’t care about you at all. John: Yeah, I think I really, the problem with Beijing is that it’s just not very consistent. I’ve had great taxi cab drivers. You know. I met really, really talkative ones, you know, that we’ve talked the entire run. It’s really really nice. I met amazingly gruff ones, ones that actually were amazingly rude to me, during the trip, and even as I was getting out. When it comes to locals, for example, if we look at part of these results that also has something to do with unhelpful locals, which actually Beijing ranked second to last as well, I think again that’s just going to be hit-or-miss. I mean I’ve had people who I’ve asked for directions, and they’ve been really really helpful. Other people, they would just say: “Oh it’s just over there somewhere”. And then that’s it. Xiaohua: Yeah, I do think that “inconsistent” is probably the word here. In terms of taxi service, they have the same, very good services and also very bad services. But I think it is a fact that it has become harder and harder for people get a taxi in Beijing. You know it has nothing to do with the drivers’ attitude. But basically it’s becoming harder to hail a taxi. That’s probably unpleasant experience as well. Liuyan: That’s probably true. That’s my personal feeling as well. But the thing is if you are in Beijing, and you are not a local, maybe you can ask for help from local people. If you think you just go to some random person on the street, he‘s not just gonna to say “oh, let me help you”. At least, you can go to a nearby hotel or something and ask the staffers to help you. John: Also I think what happens with taxis, and Xiaohua you brought this up, it reminds me of it. It’s actually very difficult to adjust the cab hailing culture, in Beijing particularly but I think mostly in China, is that if you are standing in front of someone on the road, then you will get that cab. So most people, I think especially people from Western Europe or from the United States, they come here expecting everything to ba fairly orderly. They are not used to things as chaotic and as, you know, as fight-for-yourself mentality. So this actually takes a while to get over. And most people here for a week, they are never actually get over and find people to be extremely rude. Xiaohua: Yeah, yeah. This bugs me as well, and I am a local here living for 30 years something. But you know, I’ve had people jumping out from nowhere, and just get in my taxi. John: That’s not your taxi until you earn it, right? Xiaohua: Right. So I think you can just get used to it or you can fight for yourself, you know. Liuyan: I have a very good story, because last time I ran into someone who was like that, it should be mine, but at last minute he just swooped in and said okay I have it first. But then the driver told him: “Okay, I need to go somewhere, and I am only going that direction”. So he had to get off. After I got in again, and he told me “that was not the case. I was just saying that”. So that, you know, as he got punished. Xiaohua: Wow. That tells a very good taxi driver that you ran into. John: I’ve seen it a few times where the taxi driver would notice that someone just came out onto the road and bypass them for someone who they did notice to be there longer. But at the same time I don’t necessarily blame them. I mean all they are doing is looking for fairs. And it’s difficult to tell who has been there longer. Xiaohua: Yeah. And the taxi drivers here I think are pickier. You know they tend to pick jobs. For example, not a lot want to stop for babies in strollers. John: That’s very true. Xiaohua: Not a lot want to, you know, go for, for example, pregnant women, knowing that, for example, there is a maternity hospital nearby, because they want longer rides. They just tend to be generally more picky than I guess taxi drivers in other cities. John: Oh, yeah. Xiaohua: That’s not good. But also in terms of, you know, the helpfulness of the locals, I’m not sure that I want to blame Beijingers for that, ’cos, you know, the experience that I had and some of my foreign friends’ experience all told me that Beijing locals can be quite hospitable and quite helpful. Liuyan: Exactly. That’s why I think you know it’s just another chart. You can choose to believe it or not, because from what I heard, you know, New Yorkers are notoriously bad when it comes to being helpful. John: Oh, yeah. Liuyan: But it’s not even you know among the last three. John: Yes or no, I mean. New Yorkers also can be some of the friendliest people in the world. Again it’s just very difficult to say. I think the problem with Beijing perhaps it’s going to be a language problem and perhaps once you kind of reach the end of your Chinese at least in understanding and someone is not going to show you somewhere, perhaps you think they are not helpful. Xiaohua: Yeah. Also the service industry people they should be better trained and have better attitudes. John: That’s very true.

While we were away: In Houston, Texas, USA, The Mopheaded Darling met Yao Ming's parents; the Giddy Cynic endured a 17 hour flight to Ethiopia alongside 397 Chinese traders, 3 other women, and some fed-up stewardesses; and while they were gone the World-Weary Sleuth lived for three days on instant ramen, without electricity. We also discuss why, biking without helmets, us Beijingers are just a kiss away from doom, but we'd still never be seen wearing one of those things. Also! We announce our new, "China Cliche" PHOTO CONTEST. - Listen to the radio show to hear it explained - E-mail your photos to PizzaBuffetBeijing@gmail.com - And see them posted within 24 hours on our Picasa account: http://picasaweb.google.com/PizzaBuffetBeijing Which you should click to see the sort of thing we're looking for, categorized. xxo PBJ

With the presidential election heating up in the U.S., Sufei talks to some Beijingers about Hillary, Obama and some of the other candidates.

Sufei asks the age old question: Why do good girls like bad boys? Beijingers have their say.

Sufei looks into the hype surrounding Christmas in Beijing, and asks Beijingers what they know about Hanukkah.