Type of narrow street or alley in northern Chinese cities
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10 episodes with Hutong
Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: The Mahjong Revelation: Friendship in the Hutongs of Beijing Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/the-mahjong-revelation-friendship-in-the-hutongs-of-beijing Story Transcript:Zh: 在北京的老城区，隐藏在一条狭窄的胡同里，有一家古色古香的茶馆，名叫"胡同三味"。这儿是李伟、张明和王芳的乐园或者更准确地说，他们的麻将桌。En: In the old city of Beijing, hidden in a narrow alley, there is an old-fashioned teahouse called "Three Flavors of Hutong". Here is the paradise of Li Wei, Zhang Ming, and Wang Fang, or more accurately, their mahjong table.Zh: 每天的下午，这个穿着粗布衬衫，满脸笑意的三人组合就会准时出现在茶馆一角的麻将桌旁。李伟擅长摩口背舌，张明则钟情于步步为营，这两人的对抗总能热烈得让人看的热血沸腾。看似文静的王芳其实是掌控局势的大师，幸运之神似乎总偏爱她。En: Every afternoon, this trio, dressed in coarse shirts and full of smiles, would appear punctually at the mahjong table in the corner of the teahouse. Li Wei excelled at subtle hints, while Zhang Ming preferred to play strategically, their confrontations always passionate enough to get one's blood boiling. Wang Fang, seemingly quiet, was actually a master of controlling the situation, seeming to always have the favor of the goddess of luck.Zh: 有一天，李伟和张明还在争执着谁更擅长麻将，王芳静静地收集比赛的信息，等待机会出手。突然，张明脸色骤变，大声指责李伟不讲道义，去看了他的牌。这在他们的朋友圈可是大忌，张明对李伟的指责使原本祥和的气氛瞬间紧张起来。En: One day, while Li Wei and Zhang Ming were arguing about who was better at mahjong, Wang Fang quietly gathered information about the game, waiting for the right moment to intervene. Suddenly, Zhang Ming's face changed abruptly as he loudly accused Li Wei of being unethical and peeking at his tiles. In their circle of friends, this was a big taboo, and Zhang Ming's accusation instantly tensed up the previously harmonious atmosphere.Zh: 李伟面色惊异，坚决否认。苦口婆心地解释他只是低头解鞋带，绝无偷看牌意。却因太过激动，反让张明更加坚信他的欺骗行为。En: Li Wei looked shocked and denied vehemently. He explained earnestly that he was just bending down to tie his shoelaces and had no intention of cheating by looking at the tiles. However, his agitation only made Zhang Ming more convinced of his deceit.Zh: 对他们吵闹无休的场景，王芳佯装不知，却心中无比焦虑，毕竟失去任何一个朋友对她都是巨大的打击。于是，她中断了他们的争吵，提出了一个解决办法。En: Watching the endless bickering between them, Wang Fang pretended not to know but felt anxious inside, as losing any of her friends would be a huge blow to her. So, she interrupted their argument and suggested a solution.Zh: 她提议透明处理，将每个人的牌面朝上，让所有人都能看见。那样一来，就没有人能够欺诈了。张明冷笑一声，表示接受。而李伟虽有些疑惑，但考虑到友谊，还是勉强接受了。En: She proposed transparency, suggesting that everyone turn their tiles face up so that everyone could see them. That way, no one could cheat. Zhang Ming sneered and accepted the suggestion. And although Li Wei was a bit puzzled, he reluctantly agreed, considering their friendship.Zh: 以透明的方式进行了一局游戏后，张明却发现李伟仍然赢了。他看着明明白白的牌，愣在那里，脸上的冷笑消失了，取而代之的是信任的复苏和自责的悔恨。En: After playing a game in a transparent manner, Zhang Ming found that Li Wei still won. Looking at the clearly visible tiles, he stood there dumbfounded, the cold smirk disappearing from his face, replaced by the revival of trust and self-reproach.Zh: 他看向李伟，深深地鞠了一躬，道歉说，“我错怪你了，你并未看我的牌，是我误会了你。”李伟笑了笑，并没有责怪他，只是开朗地说，“好了，误会解开就好，我们继续吧。”En: He looked at Li Wei, bowing deeply, and apologized, "I wrongly accused you. You did not peek at my tiles; it was my misunderstanding." Li Wei smiled and did not blame him, simply saying cheerfully, "It's okay, misunderstandings cleared up, let's continue."Zh: 于是，他们欢笑着，麻将声在胡同里回荡，更加热闹了。而王芳在一旁看着一切，温暖地笑着。她知道，这就是他们的友谊，尽管会有误会，但却像麻将一样，再次拼凑起来，互相扶持，更加坚固。这就是他们在北京胡同里的，一段普通却又温暖的故事。En: So, they laughed together, the sound of mahjong echoing in the alley, making it livelier. Meanwhile, Wang Fang watched everything from the side, smiling warmly. She knew that this was their friendship – despite misunderstandings, they were like mahjong tiles, coming together again, supporting each other, stronger than before. This was their ordinary yet heartwarming story in the hutongs of Beijing. Vocabulary Words:old: 老city: 城市Beijing: 北京narrow: 狭窄alley: 胡同teahouse: 茶馆paradise: 乐园mahjong: 麻将table: 桌smiles: 笑意confrontations: 对抗passionate: 热烈quiet: 文静master: 大师transparent: 透明cheat: 欺诈solution: 解决办法communication: 沟通misunderstanding: 误会trust: 信任apologized: 道歉friendship: 友谊supporting: 扶持harmonious: 祥和atmosphere: 气氛suggestion: 建议agreed: 同意laughter: 笑声heartwarming: 温暖
Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Lost in Translation: The Tale of 'Fried Husband' in Beijing Hutong Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/lost-in-translation-the-tale-of-fried-husband-in-beijing-hutong Story Transcript:Zh: 在老北京的一处古老的胡同里，挤满了古老的记忆和现代的气息，张伟、李娜和王杰三位朋友正在寻找一家餐馆。他们是为了体验一把穿越胡同与小巷的魅力。沿着砖红色的小路，走过石狮子守护的庭院，他们来到了"果香居"，一家传统的北京菜馆。En: In an old hutong in Beijing, filled with ancient memories and modern vibes, three friends Zhang Wei, Li Na, and Wang Jie are looking for a restaurant. They are there to experience the charm of crossing through the alleyways and lanes. Along the brick-red small road, passing through the courtyard guarded by stone lions, they arrived at "Fruit Fragrance House," a traditional Beijing restaurant.Zh: 王杰，虽然在北京生活了几年，但由于来自的广东，普通话并不十分熟练，尤其在四个声调上。今天他鼓起勇气，决定在他的朋友面前，尝试点菜。En: Wang Jie, although having lived in Beijing for a few years, is from Guangdong and is not very proficient in Mandarin, especially in the four tones. Today, he mustered up the courage and decided to try ordering in front of his friends.Zh: 他仰起头，目光扫过菜单上密密麻麻的字，然后清了清嗓子："服务员，来份‘炸老公'。"En: He looked up, scanned the dense characters on the menu, and then cleared his throat, "Waiter, bring us an order of 'Fried Husband'."Zh: 张伟和李娜目瞪口呆。而走过来的服务员也是惊呆了，瞬间全场寂静，只听见胡同尽头传来的蝉鸣声。En: Zhang Wei and Li Na were dumbfounded. The approaching waiter was also shocked, the entire room fell silent in an instant, only hearing the cicadas chirping from the end of the hutong.Zh: 张伟先是咳嗽了一声，然后努力抑制住笑。“王杰，你，你要再试一次吗？”他问。En: Zhang Wei coughed first, then tried hard to suppress his laughter. "Wang Jie, do you, do you want to try again?" he asked.Zh: 王杰皱眉，不解地看着他。他再次尝试："来份‘炸老公'，很好吃的那种。”En: Wang Jie frowned, looking at him puzzled. He tried again, "An order of 'Fried Husband', the very delicious kind."Zh: 李娜已经忍不住大笑起来，差点将手中的茶水喷出来。然后，她帮王杰点了正确的菜，"炸虾"。En: Li Na couldn't help but burst into laughter, almost spraying out the tea in her hand. Then, she helped Wang Jie order the correct dish, "Fried Shrimp."Zh: 全场的气氛这才恢复正常，仿佛那个尴尬的事件从来没有发生过一样。En: The atmosphere in the room returned to normal, as if the embarrassing incident had never happened.Zh: 即使他们的午餐结束了仍然不时传出笑声。饭店的其他顾客并不知道发生了什么事情，只是以为这个小团队非常快乐，他们也笑得更欢了。En: Even after their lunch ended, laughter could still be heard from time to time. The other customers in the restaurant did not know what had happened, just assuming that this small group was very happy, which made them even happier.Zh: 那天，他们打趣了王杰很久，然后还帮他练习了普通话的声调。那是一个充满欢笑的一天，也成了他们友情中不能忘记的一个小插曲。En: That day, they teased Wang Jie for a long time, and then helped him practice Mandarin tones. It was a day filled with laughter and became a memorable moment in their friendship.Zh: 即使后来他们各奔东西，这个“炸老公”的故事也一直沿袭下来，每次聚会的时候，就能唤醒他们关于老北京的回忆。那个在胡同里的日子，他们的青春、他们的友情，还有那个“炸老公”。En: Even as they went their separate ways later on, the story of "Fried Husband" continued to be passed down. Every time they gathered, it would evoke memories of old Beijing. Those days in the hutong, their youth, their friendship, and that "Fried Husband." Vocabulary Words:friends: 朋友restaurant: 餐馆Beijing: 北京memories: 记忆modern: 现代alleyways: 小巷courtyard: 庭院Stone lions: 石狮子Fried Husband: 炸老公Four tones: 四个声调courage: 勇气menu: 菜单laughter: 笑声tea: 茶水atmosphere: 气氛embarrassing: 尴尬happy: 快乐memorable: 不能忘记的practice: 练习pass down: 沿袭gathered: 聚会evokes: 唤醒youth: 青春Guangdong: 广东traditional: 传统incident: 事件suppress: 抑制scanned: 扫过approaching: 走过来
26 January 2024: Maxime Legeard and Hu Yangqi from Hutong Dubai come into the studios to tell us all about their plans for Chinese New Year. Akanksha is the founder of Mindful Munchies and she is in the studio to share her mission of how to make baking healthy! Cooking for kids and a family never ends and if you're struggling to make meals fast and healthy, Kripa Dewani aka @15min_Mom is here to help. Life is too short to skip dessert and a man who lives by that isChef Romain, the Executive pastry chef at Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk. Lastly, Samantha Wood, the founder of impartial restaurant review website FooDiva.net - and a curator of dining experiences is here to tell us where we should be going! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Lost in the Labyrinth: Unearthing the Magic of Beijing Hutongs Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/lost-in-the-labyrinth-unearthing-the-magic-of-beijing-hutongs Story Transcript:Zh: 在阳光明媚的某个清晨，张伟，一个杭州人初次进京的游客，带着好奇和期待的心情，驾驶着租来的自行车闯入了北京的胡同。他立刻被这些古朴而独特的巷道所吸引，不禁深深沉浸其中，被这百花齐放、吵闹又宁静的北京生活所吸引。En: On a sunny morning, Zhang Wei, a tourist from Hangzhou visiting Beijing for the first time, rode a rented bicycle into the Hutongs with curiosity and anticipation. He was immediately captivated by these quaint and unique alleyways, immersing himself in the bustling yet peaceful life of Beijing, where flowers bloomed everywhere.Zh: 然而这狭长的胡同，无论是短还是长，肉眼看到的都只是两堵墙，四通八达，好似一个千变万化的迷宫。地图上的路线在这里就像蒙上了一层面纱，往往让人看不清前方的道路。不知不觉中，张伟在这百花齐放的胡同中迷了路。En: However, no matter how long or short these narrow Hutongs appeared to the naked eye, they only seemed like two walls, twisting and turning in every direction, like a labyrinth of endless possibilities. The routes on the map were veiled here, often obscuring the path ahead. Unbeknownst to him, Zhang Wei got lost in this vibrant Hutong.Zh: 正当他困惑不解之时，一个远处轻轻飘动的音乐声吸引了他。他决定尾随这虚无而缥缈的音符，试图破解这悠扬的魔法。那音乐的源头，竟是北京公园里一群正在晨练太极的人。En: Just as he was puzzled and bewildered, a faint drifting melody from a distance attracted him. He decided to follow this ethereal tune in an attempt to unravel its enchanting magic. To his surprise, the source of the music turned out to be a group of people practicing Tai Chi in a Beijing park.Zh: 看到他们举手投足，气贯长虹，张伟不由得为这一片魅力的宁静所吸引，遂停下脚步，观察起来。此时，一位白发苍苍的老者走了过来，他微笑着邀请张伟加入他们。En: As he watched them gracefully move, their energy flowing like a rainbow, Zhang Wei couldn't help but be drawn to the tranquility and charm. He stopped in his tracks to observe. At that moment, an elderly man with white hair approached him, smiling, and invited Zhang Wei to join them.Zh: 一时间，他慌乱又兴奋，但受邀请的荣誉让他忽视了自己对太极拳的陌生。他跟随他们的指导，迈步、转身、举手、扔足。然而，他的动作却像是在胡同中的行驶一样，令人费解。En: In a mix of panic and excitement, Zhang Wei overlooked his unfamiliarity with Tai Chi, dazzled by the honor of the invitation. He followed their guidance, taking steps, turning, raising hands, and kicking feet. However, his movements resembled that of navigating the Hutong, confusing those around him.Zh: 他倾斜的身体、乱七八糟的手脚动作，都在他身边的人们中引起了混乱。他一个不小心，差点撞倒了旁边的老太太，引起了一阵艳厚的笑声。En: His tilted body and erratic gestures caused bewilderment among the people nearby. He almost accidentally knocked down an old lady next to him, provoking a burst of hearty laughter.Zh: 尽管一度感到尴尬，张伟却并未放弃。他在混乱中寻找节奏，在愚蠢中领悟智慧。最后，虽然他当天的太极拳并未做到尽善尽美，但他赢得了他人的尊重，并结交了新朋友。En: Although initially embarrassed, Zhang Wei did not give up. He searched for rhythm amidst the chaos and gleaned wisdom from his own silliness. In the end, although his Tai Chi that day was far from perfect, he earned the respect of others and made new friends.Zh: 这天，张伟收获了新体验，他深深地体验了北京的人情味，也理解了这个独特的城市在古老的皮囊下，怎么蕴藏着如此活力四溢的生命力。他在迷失中找到了自我，在尴尬中找到了快乐，这就是他在北京胡同迷宫中的故事。En: On this day, Zhang Wei gained new experiences. He deeply experienced the human touch of Beijing and understood how this unique city, hidden beneath its ancient façade, brimmed with vibrant life. He found himself in the midst of confusion, and happiness through embarrassment. This is his story in the maze of Beijing Hutongs. Vocabulary Words:On a sunny morning: 某个阳光明媚的早晨Zhang Wei: 张伟a tourist: 一个游客from Hangzhou: 来自杭州visiting: 参观Beijing: 北京for the first time: 第一次rode a rented bicycle: 骑着租来的自行车Hutongs: 胡同curiosity: 好奇心and anticipation: 期待captivated: 被吸引quaint: 古朴的unique: 独特的alleyways: 巷道immersing: 沉浸bustling: 喧闹的peaceful: 宁静的life: 生活flowers: 花bloomed: 盛开everywhere: 到处narrow: 狭窄的walls: 墙壁twisting: 扭曲turning: 转弯labyrinth: 迷宫endless possibilities: 无限的可能性routes: 路线map: 地图
En este nuevo programa hablamos de un sector con un crecimiento al alza en todo el mundo pero quizá más aun en España como es el Real Estate o mercado inmobiliario. Para conocer como esta este sector y su posible evolución tenemos con nosotros a Iván Barrondo que es el Director para España de una de los grupos con mayor experiencia, John Taylor. A continuación, tenemos en Pecados Veniales a Santa Teresa 1976, un ron donde confluyen los valores y el orgullo de Venezuela. Una larga historia que se remonta a más de doscientos años atrás durante los cuales han ido superando innumerables retos, logrando un gran crecimiento que lo ha convertido en uno de los grandes orgullos de Venezuela. Ron Santa Teresa 1796 es la primera marca productora de ron de Venezuela y hoy en Pecados Veniales os haremos partícipes de su historia con su Embajador para España, Luis Viera Finalmente, hablamos de gastronomía con China Taste, la fiesta de la gastronomía tradicional China que regresa a Madrid por sexto año del 11 de enero al 12 de febrero. Con el fin de ensalzar y dar a conocer toda la riqueza de la gastronomía china se ha organizado estas jornadas en las cuales participan 13 restaurantes conocidos por la alta calidad de sus productos como son Soy Kitchen, Le Petit Dimsum (Galería Canalejas), El Bund, Kököchin, Asia Té, El Buda Feliz 1974, Casa Lafu, Hutong, China Crown, Shanghai Mama Cuzco, Shanghai Mama Las Tablas, Royal Cantonés y Mítiko Asian Experience. Pecados Veniales con Ramón Biosca, Alfonso Escámez, Edson Elguer, Ricardo Ceratto, Ana Mateu, Agustín García, Gus Fernández, Ana Sastre y Lucía Serrano.
We're kicking off the new year at 99pi with a fresh installment of mini-stories, including: what lies at the intersection of a street and a road; the most unlikely of theme parks; and the evolution of ancient alleyways in Beijing, China.Mini-Stories: Volume
Kui Dong is a composer whose work spans diverse genres including ballet, orchestra, chamber works, chorus, electro-acoustic music, film scores, multi-media art, and improvisation. On the podcast, we discuss her opera-in-progress Hutong and the presence of diaspora identity in her music. We also talk about her piece for four percussionists on two moving marimbas Scattered Ladder, which will be performed at OM 26. Music: Hutong by Kui Dong; Scattered Ladder by Kui Dong, performed by Third Coast Percussion (Kairos) kuidong.net Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. otherminds.org Contact us at otherminds@otherminds.org. The Other Minds Podcast is edited and produced by Joseph Bohigian. Outro music is Kings: Atahualpa by Brian Baumbusch (Other Minds Records).
Last time we spoke, the Qing Dynasty faced the last real death throes of the Ming Dynasty. What is known as the Revolt of three Feudatories resulted in a war against Wu Sangui, Geng Jingzhong & Shang Zhixin. One by one each warlord fell to the Qing dynasty's vast armies and with each defeat brought more territory and populace under the Qing yolk. However one last major enemy loomed, the Kingdom of Taiwan established by Koxinga. Koxinga's descendent Zheng Keshuang would eventually be defeated and with his submission it seemed the Qing Dynasty would have eternal peace. However, the Qing' enemies remained within and outside its borders at all times. Holding the new empire together would not be easy. The Qing empire, much like the great wall of China could be destroyed, brick by brick and only time would tell how that wall would hold. This episode is the White Lotus Rebellion Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on the history of asia and much more so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. The revolt of the 3 feudatories had ended, Wu Sangui, Geng Jingzhong & Shang Zhixin were all defeated. The grandson of Koxinga, Zheng Keshuang was defeated, Taiwan was conquered and brought under the fold of the Qing dynasty. The Qing also managed to defend its borders from the external threat of the Tsardom of Russia. The Russians had ventured into border skirmishes around the Amur River valley, first in 1658 with the Battle of Hutong, in which a force of Manchu and Koreans overwhelmed a force of 500 Cossacks aboard 11 ships, sending them fleeing to Albazin. Albazin was a Russian settlement on the Amur River right along the Qing Dynasty's border and it remained a point of conflict in the late 17th century. Since their defeat at the battle of Hutong, the Russians began a campaign of persuading nearby populaces to their cause rather than the Qing which became such a nuisance by 1685 that the Qing sent a force to lay siege to the settlement. In just one day the settlement garrisoned by 450 men surrendered, however a year later the Russians would return to the settlement looking to re-establish themselves. The Qing yet again besieged the settlement in 1686, however this time it was much bloodier. The Qing threw around 3000 men at Albazin which was garrisoned by 800, by the end of the ordeal it is said just 24 men survived within Albazin and the Qing lost perhaps 1500 casualties. In the greater scheme of things, it was just a small border clash, but the result was rather significant. The Russians had been acting rather boldly, because of all the strife going on between the Qing and Ming, but now that the Qing had consolidated their new empire they were more than capable of defending any encroachments, especially those in Manchuria,their native homelands. After defeating the Russians again at the Siege of Albazin, the Qing government sent letters to the Tsar suggesting they sign a peace treaty, because for quite a long time now, the Qing were dealing with an age old enemy, the Mongols, to be precise the Dzungar Mongols. Emperor Kangxi wished to rid the Russian nuisance from the Amur area which was the northern border so he could focus his army on the north-western problem that was the Dzungar Mongols. The Russians knew they could not hope to defend outposts as far as the Amur region and the idea of peace talks perked their interests as trade would be far more beneficial to them then border skirmishes. A treaty would be signed called the Treaty of Nerchinsk, which established trade between the 2 empires and relative peace for quite a long time. This was also the first treaty between the Tsardom of Russia and the Qing dynasty, so a bit of legitimizing for the new-ish regime. The Qing would have a hell of a time with the Dzungar Mongols which accumulated into what is known as the Dzungar-Qing war which almost went on for a hundred years. By the time the Qing would effectively end the wars with the Dzungar mongols, and all culminated in what is known as the Dzungar genocide. By the end of the wars in the 1750's it is estimated that around 80% of the Dzungar population, something like 500-800 thousand people were killed. During the early 18th century, the Qianlong Emperor gave a directive stating “"Show no mercy at all to these rebels. Only the old and weak should be saved. Our previous military campaigns were too lenient. If we act as before, our troops will withdraw, and further trouble will occur. If a rebel is captured and his followers wish to surrender, he must personally come to the garrison, prostrate himself before the commander, and request surrender. If he only sends someone to request submission, it is undoubtedly a trick. Tell Tsengünjav to massacre these crafty Zunghars. Do not believe what they say."”. As you can imagine such directives led to the massacres of countless people. On Top of the killings, the remaining Dzungar peoples were forcefully relocated to places all over China. Reports from a QING scholar named Wei Yuan who lived almost 100 years after the events state that 30% of the Dzungar people were killed by the Qing military, 40% died of disease such as a smallpox epidemic, 20% fled to other places like Russia and modern day Kazakhstan. There are quite a few historians who argue the Qianlong Emperor simply engaged in a genocidal campaign. Regardless after this rather horrible and bloody ordeal, for the most part the Qing dynasty undergoes a period of relative peace, and I mean the word peace should be taken with a grain of salt, for all Chinese history I don't think there is a single year some revolt or rebellion is not occurring. When Emperor Kangxi took the throne from 1661-1722 this began what is called the Qing Golden Age. His successor Emperor Yongzheng continued the golden age from 1723-1735 and was further succeeded by Emperor Qianlong who would rule from 1735-1796 which is seen as the peak of the Golden age. During this period China annexed most of Mongolia, northeast China, Xinjiang, Tibet and Taiwan, aside from Taiwan, its basically the borders of the very China we know today. China at this time amounted to over 32% of the worlds industrial output, its population soared past 100 million for the first time in history and soon grew to an enormous 300 million, hell I live in Canada and we barely have 38 million right now! Despite being such a colossus, China for the most part was quite isolated in its market. China allowed foreign trade through places like Macau, but it was quite limited in scope. Eventually it would be expanded upon. When the Qianlong Emperor took the throne he began numerous projects including the Ten Great Campaigns, which was a series of military campaigns that enlarged the empire to the extent I had mentioned previously. He put together the largest collection of books in Chinese history to that point known as the Siku Quanshu, “complete repository of the Four branches of Literature”. The exploration of the new world also brought riches in the form of new foods to China. The potato and peanut dramatically improved food supplies allowing for China's population to boom. Now the upcoming episodes are going to specifically look at the emergence of European powers mingling with China. But this episode is going to be directed at an internal story, and one that is not often talked about. Stating that I will be glossing over some very very important events such as the journey of James Flint and the mission of Lord George Macartney, but rest assured those stories will be the very forefront after this one. In the spring of 1794, the HMS Lion departed from Macau for its long voyage back home to England and a rumor spread amongst its crew that in the mountainous counties of Shanxi province, that a “true master” had appeared. This so-called Master was said to be marked with the character for the sun upon his left hand and the character of the moon on his right. Together these characters formed the character “Ming”, dun dun dunnnn. According to another rumor, a giant boulder in the village of where this master was born had suddenly split open revealing a hidden scripture inside thar read: “A black wind will blow for a day and a night. It will destroy men beyond number. White bones will be piled into mountains, and Blood will flow to become an ocean” It was the telling of an apocalypse, and rumors sprang all through China that the only way to escape the destruction was to memorize that scripture from the boulder and to chant it. Oh and to begin stockpiling guns and other weapons and be ready to support the great master's uprising against the Qing. It was said the “black wind” would hit in the spring of 1796 and it would destroy the world and usher in a new age. Zhang Zhengmo, a peasant living in Hubei province was one of many who believed the prophecy. At 32 years of age he had heard it told to him by a sect leader named Bai who explained to Zhang and many others that the True Master's doctrine was part of the White Lotus teachings. The White Lotus sect had been around for hundreds of years, it was something like a marriage between Buddhism and Daoism. For the most part, the White Lotus sects amounted to nothing more than harmless people practicing a faith based on healing and protection from misfortune. The founder of the Ming dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang, joined a White Lotus Revolution that took shape in 1352 in Guangzhou. The revolution saw him taking firm control over the head of a rebellious army and he would go on to conquer Nanjing and take the title of Emperor Hongwu ushering in a new age. His title also held religious sentiment of the White Lotus. This religion however like many others held a prediction of an apocalypse and its followers believed that with it would come the second coming of Buddha who would return in the form of a bodhisattva named Maitreya to rid the world of corruption and suffering. Maitreya would destroy the corrupt government and the non believers and a utopia would be formed for those who helped bring upon the apocalypse. So put yourself in the shoes of the Manchu rulers of the new Qing dynasty. You hear these rumors going around and see the potential rebellion you might be seeing from this religious group. White Lotus groups had sprung uprisings countless times in history and hell the dynasty you just defeated was made by one of those uprisings! Back to Zhang Zhengmo, well he was a recent convert and Bai who was a traveling sect leader became his teacher who indoctrinated him in the True Master's doctrine. Zhang donated money to the cause, not much, he was a peasant after all, but enough to start hoarding weapons. He then began to recruit other followers to become his students…you can see where this is going, think of a good old fashion MLM scam of today like herbalife or scientology haha except instead of toxic shakes or alien stories its people hoarding weapons to begin an apocalypse. So you can sort of get the picture, you become a follower, in the process you pay money to hoard weapons. Then you recruit other followers, rinse and repeat, soon you got yourself a rebellion cooking. Zhang Zhengmo lived in a part of China considered to be an internal frontier, wide mountain ranges along the points where Hubei, Shaanxi and Sichuan pressed against another, same types of places all the bandit armies would run up into when the Qing came after them. This particular region was known as the Han River Highlands, which fed into the Yangzi river, not a very hospitable area and thus less developed. It was dense with forest, hills and such, perfect for bandits to hang out in. The reason I am describing this area is to emphasize something that is going on in China. I mentioned the population boom, from 100-300 million, it was enormous. With so many people, the necessity for agricultural expansion was enormous as well. Most of the southern and eastern parts of China were being cleared out for crops, literally everywhere was getting gulped up by farms. More and more people were forced to move into areas like the Han River Highlands and all of this culminated in more and more competition between settlers over natural resources. Like with most frontier societies, this got violent very fast. The Han River Highlands were a pretty scary place to live in the late 18th century, there was just about no security because the government officials were all in other areas. Thus without much intervention, who could step in to marshall such places? The White Lotus thats who. The White Lotus promised safety for all of its followers and were more than happy to accept any settlers. By 1794 the Qing administration warily watched as regions such as the Han River Highlands had sects such as the White Lotus grow. Provincial authorities saw the potential risk of insurrection and began to work at dismantling such cells before they could cause trouble. A crackdown came in 1794 targeting groups based out of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Hubei. Emperor Qianlong made an edict in September ordering all captured sectarians to be punished according to the nature of their guilt. So for example, spiritual leaders would be executed by being cut into pieces, wozzors. Those who spread the White Lotus teachings would be beheaded. Mere followers, would be arrested and deported to Manchuria as slaves. All in all not a very subtle edict. So the local Qing officials set to work, first it was village headmen who organized forces to round up White Lotus members. Within a few months time they had arrested 20 teachers and over a hundred followers, and as you can imagine their methodology was brutal and would intensify the situation. There was not enough forces to get the job done so the local officials began to hire local thugs to go house to house. As you can imagine the thugs began to run amok, many began to threaten to arrest people if they didn't pay them off. So those who paid them off or somehow managed to prove they were not White Lotus members received placards that they could put on their doors marking them as “decent people”. Everyone else were open targets for abuse as they were suspected White Lotus members. When Zhang Zhengmo heard the officials going house to house he quickly abandoned his home and fled before inspectors could get him. He returned to his native county in the same province where he continued his mission to recruit more followers. By the late winter of 1796, it is estimated that Zhang had more than 1000 followers. Only 2 months before the planned date for the apocalypse or better called uprising, Zhang found out that local officials were mounting a new crackdown now in his native county. Fearing his arrest, Zhang prepared for their arrival, calling upon his followers and telling him the time had come. Zhang's followers took to the roads where they joined up with other cells that other recruiters had grown. In only a few days more than 10,000 White Lotus members converged under the leadership of Zhang Zhengmo. They brought with them, swords, guns, gunpowder and other supplies necessary for waging a rebellion. They plundered villages for supplies and began conscripting the local populace, coercing them with food. This all mattered not to the White Lotus believers who were taught that non believers would all be destroyed when Buddha returned regardless, so who cares if they harm any of these people in the meantime. The worshipers and their indentured conscripts soon swelled to 20,000 and they began to create blockades along the roads and pathways and made their way to the hills. Zhang Zhengmo's first HQ was to be a mountain estate of a very wealthy believer, but Zhang worried it was to undefendable and thus brought his force further into the mountains where he knew they could hold up better. A campment was built with thousands of shacks, white banners were spread out and the force began to adopt white headbands to identify themselves as legitimate rebels. Their weaponry was mostly swords, knives, though they did have 300 matchlock rifles and 6 chestnut wood cannons. They also had a ton of crossbows and a lot of poison tipped bolts. The defense of the mountain was typical guerilla stuff seen to this day, booby trapped paths, watch towers, makeshift landmines and people hidden around every nook and cranny. Despite all the preparation, Zhang Zhengmo was quite reluctant to take his newfound rebel army down the mountain side, fearing they would all be slaughtered by the Qing army who must surely be awaiting them. So they all dug in for months, only sending the occasional raiding party down to gather supplies. July came and Zhang received word the Qing were slowly closing in on the mountain. He had burned his name in the registers hoping that he might be able to make an escape and some of his followers began to see he was not the leader they thought him to be. They had been told he had met the True master, but many found out this was a lie. They looked to him for guidance, but all he could provide were cheap parlor tricks. When Zhang had called for the uprising he thought all of the White Lotus followers from miles all around would heed the cause. Yet after the first 10,000 flocked to him none others were found, he assumed everyone had been arrested and killed. They were trapped on this mountain, there was nowhere to escape to, there was no help coming. They held out another 2 months, but then in September the Qing broke their perimeter and arrested the lot of them. Zhang was to be executed, but before the deed a Qing interrogator demanded to know why he and his followers rebelled. “You are all peasants, you receive the blessings of the emperor. He relieves you of taxes and tribute grain. He relieves your debts. When there is a flood or a drought he gives you aid. You have a human heart, and you should feel gratitude and abide by the laws. So why, under the banner of these evil teachings, did you start a rebellion? In the end, what was it you wanted?”. Zhang replied “We have indeed received blessings from the emperor. We had warm clothes and could eat our fill. We were peasants, and we were grateful. It was at a time when I was ignorant, that I first began to practice this religion. It was only because I wanted to encourage people to do good deeds and to avoid misfortune. But then the investigations and arrests intensified, and I saw that when people who practiced our religion were captured, all of them were charged with heavy crimes. So I became afraid”. So he was nothing more than a peasant, who ignorantly was led astray and when the crackdown occurred he did what he did out of fear. It is the excuse given by countless peasant uprisings, reckless bursts of defiance towards an perceived malevolent empire, nothing too remarkable. Zhang's force of 20,000 were brushed aside….and little did they know what had occurred all over China. The “black wind” uprising spread like wildfire. The vast range and appeal of the apocalyptic rumors that had pushed Zhang and his followers had only increased exponentially. From word of mouth through the province, uprisings began to all explode spontaneously through the hill countries of the Han River Highlands. Zhang had no idea, but it was his movement that became the spark to see the entire forest ablaze. By the time the Qing officials had dealt with Zhang Zhengmo's camp, all of Hubei was engulfed in a wave of rebellion, and soon it spread to the neighboring provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi. On february 9th of 1796, the first day of the lunar new year and just 6 days before Zhang Zhengmo began his uprising, Emperor Qianlong gave up the throne. The abdication had been planned for a very long time, all the way back to 1735 when Qianlong had given an edict that he planned to rule as long as high grandfather had. Emperor Kangxi had reigned for 61 years and Qianlong wanted to keep his word, but not entirely. While on the surface he did quote en quote abdicate on his 60th year as emperor, giving the throne to his son Jiaqing, in reality all he did was install a puppet. The calendars record the new year as Jiaqing Year 1, but within the capital it was truly Qianlong year 61. 2 calendars were kept, 2 sets of imperial annals with one referring to the supreme retired emperor Qianlong, who would continue to rule while his son kept the throne warm. It probably would have been better for China if Emperor Qianlong really did abdicate, for while his reign was impressive, his effectiveness was deteriorating with his age. A Korean diplomat in 1794 reported to his superiors that Emperor Qianlong had acted in a bizarre manner. He stated that the Emperor ordered breakfast immediately after eating breakfast on some occasions. Thus the implication here was that the Emperor was going senile. Later in 1797 a different Korean envoy reported that the Emperor seemed to be unable to remember what occurred during the morning of their meeting nor what they had done the day prior. With the emperor in a weakened state, factions within his court began to vie for power. One of Emperor Qianlong's closest court officials a man named Heshen began to act out in the emperors name. The more the Emperors mental health declined the more Heshen would speak on his behalf. As observed by the western George Staunton in 1790 “Heshen enjoyed, almost exclusivity, the confidence of the emperor. He might be said to possess, in fact, under the emperor, the whole power of the empire”. It just so happens, Heshen was one of the most corrupt officials in Chinese history during a particularly corrupt ridden time in Chinese history. Heshen treated large amounts of the Qing governments bureaucracy as his own personal patronage network. For example, he began to appoint officials into positions and expected them to pay him handsomely for such appointments. This led the officials to embezzle money to pay him back. In one example he appointed a man to the Yellow River Conservancy, which controlled the funding for flood control over China's second longest river and the man embezzled over 6 million tales of silver each year to pay back Heshen. That money of course was required to help prevent the Yellow River from flooding and by the end of the 18th century about 1/10th of the government funds were actually used for flood prevention. As Heshen and others sucked up the money, the peasants on the floodplain suffered tremendously as the appointed official at the Yellow River Conservancy found it was in the best interests of everyone to allow the river to breach its dikes periodically, just to make sure the government funds kept pouring in. Heshen's corruption was widely apparent to the court, but to make any accusations against him was a death sentence as he had the mouth of the emperor. Now back to the White Lotus rebellion, it was spreading as I said with great speed and this was greatly aided by government corruption. With the rampant corruption came a huge lack of government forces to respond to the initial uprisings. Skeleton garrisons in key locations such as Hubei allowed for the uprisings to spread like wildfire. The officials were caught off guard and massively unprepared. Across Hubei overwhelmed government forces tried to resist the rebels with whatever weapons they could muster, but soon began pleading other provinces for reinforcement. With such a lack of governmental forces to protect the common people, landowners resorted to raising private militias called “Xiangyong” (means local braves) which in turn began to simply plunder areas. As one witness reported “the so called militia soldiers just continued the work of stealing everything the refugees had left behind in their houses. There wasn't an empty hand anywhere…if the White Lotus rebels are like an ordinary comb, the private militia are the fine-toothed one”. These militias killed, robbed and caused further havoc. To the government all of them were rebels and in turn this caused all the rebels to find common cause. The slogan “the officials oppress, and the people rebel” spread across multiple rebel groups, and at the forefront was the White Lotus. The Qing government began a cycle of violence, redoubled its efforts to extinguish the White Lotus sects, only to give justification to them to increase their rebellious activity. It is interesting to note the hiring of these militia's will play a crucial role in the downfall of the Qing dynasty. Many scholars attribute the adoption of hired militia's by the Qing government to being something like cutting off your limbs and eating them during starvation. The idea being that while the Qing could raise such militia's to try and stamp out the endless rebellions that will occur during their dynasty's reign, these were short term solutions and only hurt them in the long run. Hiring civilians in war showcased how the Qing standing armies were losing their fighting capability and greatly hurt the Qing treasuries. Regardless this will all be showcased much more in the future. Emperor Qianlong saw the uprisings as a local issue that should be dealt with by local forces. His focus was on internal unrest, not the problems of the frontier lands and so he denied requests for military aid. He kept telling provincial officials to use the resources they had to deal with the uprisings even though he held ample elite troops that could have swept in to restore the peace. What Emperor Qianlong did do however was send funds to the province to help as the government treasury was jam packed with silver during this age. Without the capitals troops to reinforce them, provincial officials began to follow the lead of the militia rebels and armed peasants to fight off the rebels. At the beginning of the uprising most frontier territories had government militias of just a few hundred, luckier ones perhaps a few thousand. But as the rebellion spread into neighboring provinces and the funds from Beijing poured in, the militia armies grew exponentially. By 1798, Hubei had nearly 400,000 militiamen registered on its books and Sichuan and Shaanxi each had comparably large militia forces. In the concert of the war against the rebels, the 3 provinces reported a total of 100,000 government soldiers and upto a possible million militiamen. The militiamen strategy proved to be very ineffective against the rebels, in fact the militias did more harm than good. Militiamen came from all walks of life, from farmers, to unemployed city folk to ruthless criminals. If you were a bandit, it was actually far more beneficial to join the militia which paid a salary about the same as a government soldier. These militiamen had no real allegiance beyond the salary they were paid so as the White Lotus watched the government hiring all of these people they simply offered them the same salary or more. By the later years of the uprising it turned out nearly half the White Lotus armies were made up of former militiamen! And if you were wondering what else than money could persuade these militiamen to join the White Lotus hear this. The governor general of Sichuan province reported with disgust that whenever government troops went into battle they simply quote “sent the militia to charge in ahead of them as they hung back where it was safe. If the militiamen got turned back by the rebels and started to run away, the government soldiers just ran after them”. On top of this, tons of false victories over the rebel armies were being reported when in reality, the government troops would just pretend to engage the rebels and continuously move their camps around. There was even reports that government forces would murder refugees from nearby villages and set up their mutilated bodies at their camps to make it look like they had caught rebels. The fact the government forces were really not engaging the rebel armies very much was so apparent one witness said “where the rebels are, there are no government forces; and where the government forces are, there are no rebels”. With the declining mental health of Emperor Qianlong growing worse, the campaign against the White Lotus fell into the hands of Heshen who was too busy using the opportunity to enrich himself. As emperor Qianlong obsessed over the reports of the rebel war, apparently barely sleeping while he read them day and night according to accounts from his son, well Heshen was doing his best to control which reports came to the emperor. Heshen made sure all the reports were fake victory stories making it seem that the entire campaign was going off without a hitch. Heshen had appointed his own personal goons to be in key military positions who in turn fed falsified victory reports for money or military honors in return. This went further to whitewash massacres done to the civilian population by the government armies. And of course the funds for the military were going to the goons who in turn paid tribute right back to Heshen, making sure they kept their positions regardless of how incompetent they were. For the first 3 years of the war, Heshen effectively controlled the central government's military funding. It would also turn out that the registry of over 300,000 militia soldiers recruited to fight the White Lotus did not exist and it was an embezzlement scheme. It gets even worse. Those militia soldiers who did exist and who died fighting the rebels, well the corrupt officials would embezzle their death benefits, so a ton of mourning families got nothing and this had the disgusting side effect of creating an incentive for corrupt officers to have more of their soldiers die on the battlefield. The Militia related expenses would claim at least half the war effort funding according to Jiaqing who discovered the racket. A scholar in Hubei said this of the situation “At first they nibbled away like worms, gradually taking more and more until they were gulping like whales. In the beginning, their embezzlements could be reckoned in hundreds and thousands of taels, but presently nothing less than ten thousand would attract notice. Soon amounts ran to scores of thousands, then to hundreds of thousands, then to millions.” Emperor Qianlong expected an easy victory over the White Lotus, but the war was not ending. After reading so many countless reports of victories over the rebels, Qianlong because frustrated and confused as to why the White Lotus rebels did not submit. By 1799, the cost of the war was reaching nearly 100 million taels of silver, an unbelievable sum that had completely exhausted the treasury surplus and there still was no end in sight. Emperor Qianlong spent his last years of life losing his mind to the rebellion and died in a position of helplessness with the treasury emptied. Jiaqing did not have an enviable start to his reign. He was a broad, fat man with a talent for archery and was left with a clean up job that was simply immense. He had been forced to suffer the indemnity of being enthroned in 1796 only to find out he was a puppet and that his father was not even in charge, it was Heshen. He was in his 40's and quite powerless as long as his father remained alive. The day after Emperor Qianlong died in 1799, one of Jiaqings first major acts was to order the arrest of Heshen, boom. There was a swift and very publicized trial where the board of punishments found Heshen to be guilty of a long list of corruption related charges and the sentence would be death. Because Heshen held one of the highest ranks in the court he was allowed to strangle himself with a silk cord, a privilege considered more honorable than having your head cut off. Although the execution of Heshen was symbolically cathartic, it did little to stop the rot of corruption within the government. Heshen was blamed for just about all the sins of the time, as if he alone dragged the empire down…though one could argue he certainly provided a helping hand. All Heshens misdeeds were laid to bare and his enormous wealth was unimaginable. Heshen had a sprawling mansion of over 730 rooms. In his secondary residence there were 620 rooms. He held landholdings of over 120,000 acres of productive farmland. All the stories you can imagine were there, he had golden chopsticks, silver place settings for banquets, entire rooms filled with jewels, jade and other riches. He owned 10 banks, 10 pawnshops and millions upon millions of taels of silver hoarded into them. Apparently one wall in his main residence turned out to be filled with 5000 pounds of gold bullion if its to be believed. One extremely overexaggerated estimate his sum worth was around 800 million taels of silver, thats around 1.5 billion at the time, around 4 times the entire gross domestic product of the United States of America. More conservative estimates are at around 80 million taels of silver, which was more than the entire treasury surplus that preceded the White Lotus war and enough to make Heshen as wealthy as the Emperor! After dealing with Heshen, Jiaqing began a campaign against the corruption in the government. However, Jiaqing understood how an anti corruption campaign could fall into chaos and become a general purge, so he allowed it to peter out pretty quick. What did happen, was the Qing government saw a lot of old scores settled and factionalism rose amongst officials. The first order of business after dealing with Heshen was obviously the White Lotus war. The day after Qianlong's death, Jiaqing issued an edict naming the suppression of antigovernment religious sects as the dynasty's most urgent priority. Jiaqing rallied against the corrupt military officers accusing them of dragging out the war in order to fill their pockets. He laid blame for the insurrection upon the civil servants who extorted the peasants. “The peasants enjoy few fruits from their labor. So how can they possibly supply such insatiable demands? It is the local officials who provoked these rebellions”. Emperor Jiaqing began removing corrupt and incompetent military officials to try and replace them with better men, but the reality at the time was quite thin pickings. Most of the Manchu generals of his father or grandfathers generation were dead or far too old to lead. The younger generation were not born into the same world as their parents. If you've ever listened to Dan Carlin's podcast and yes I am nothing but a mere fanboy, he often makes the analogy of how empires go soft. The old quasi proverb of old wooden shoes going up the stairs and soft silken sandals going down them. This new generation of Manchu did not live the hardened lifestyle of their ancestors, they were living in a world of luxury now. A ton of the younger generation were also tainted by the Heshen click. Yet there was a minority of great warriors and some of the old guard so to say that had won Emperor Qianlong some victories back in the day. The very best of them was a physically enduring Manchu named Eldemboo. At 51 years old in the year of 1799 he was selected to lead the White Lotus suppression. He was quite old, but experienced, ruthless and said to be incorruptible. Elemboo's had been part of campaigns in the 1770's to bring parts of the frontiers under the Qing Yolk. He fought the Burmese in southern Yunnan. He fought during the Tibetan rebellion in the1770's, during a muslim uprising in Gansu in 1784, helped put down a rebellion in Taiwan in 1787 and served in the far west against the Gurkhas in Tibet and Nepal in the 1790s. By 1797 he was a Lt-general who had just succeeded in suppressing a Miao ethnic uprising in Hunan province. The campaign against the White Lotus faced a crucial problem, that of mobility. The rebels required little in terms of weaponry and could get pretty much anything on the go from just about any village. They did not construct elaborate camps, they were accustomed to the mountains and forests and could carry out guerilla warfare at a moments notice. The Qing military was another beast altogether. It required enormous logistical operations to move its food, matchlock muskets, ammunition, powder, bows and arrows, this all required carts and beasts of burden. Usually these logistics were not a problem, but for mountains and forest regions it was a nightmare. The rebels understood the advantage and made sure to take up positions in the worst possible places for such logistics. Because of these logistical problems the Qing forces had been simply setting up stations in fixed positions hoping to cast a net around rebel pockets. Many commanders simply did not have the stomach to march into forests or up mountain sides to chase an enemy that would use every obstacle against them. Eldemboo unlike his predecessor commanders not only was willing to venture into the forests and mountains, but was perfectly willing to endure the hardship of such ventures alongside his men. A new approach was necessary for the campaign. Eldemboo called for “jianbi qingye” “fortify the walls and clear the countryside”. The idea was two fold, first to separate the good peasants from those who would support the White Lotus, by concentrating them in places of safety ie, behind fortified encampments known as baozhai. In these Baozhai, some peasants would be trained as militia to defend their respective camps. The second idea was to clear the countryside, by moving all the grain harvest and food stores away and into the Baozhai where all the good peasants would be taking refuge. The hope was the rebels would eventually be unable to scavenge food from the emptied countryside and would be forced to come out of their hiding and fight the government forces on their terms. Under the command of Eldemboo, the jianbi qingye strategy was implemented throughout the war zone. Hundreds of fortified camps were in the wartorn provinces. The fortified camps held strong walls and deep moats. The militiamen would defend them and not be taken out on campaigns that earlier had caused so much havoc upon the populace. The new role of the militiamen was to protect their own families, neighbors and such and thus they were far less likely to fall into banditry. While the quote “good” population concentrated in their Baozhai, defended by their good militiamen, Eldemboo's manchu and Han troops were now free to campaign at will through any wartorn province. Soon Eldemboo began producing a string of victories over the weakened rebel forces. By early 1803, Eldemboo's campaign had moved into its final phase, a brutal mop up operation. The remnants of the broken rebels needed to be crushed and the demilitarization of all the militiamen needed to gradually begin. Emperor Jiaqing warned his generals not to relax in their campaigns prematurely. “Though the main disease is cured, there are boils and sores that remain. If even a single rebel is left alive, it would be enough for them to keep spreading and growing”. Emperor Jiaqing's generals heeded his words and continued to ruthlessly crush the remnants of the rebels. A systematic program of pacification was enacted. The “good” populace was continuously resettled into the fortified cities, while the Qing forces pursued and exterminated the rebel guerrilla bands, though it should be noted they did give amnesty to many rebels who deserted. It was the combination of military and social policies that were winning the day. Qing administrators seized and destroyed all White Lotus scriptures they could find in the warzones. By the late summer of 1803, some of Jiaqing's commanders reported back to him that after 8 years of extermination efforts against the White Lotus in the 3 provinces, it seemed for all intensive purposes the job was complete. In early 1804, Eldemboo traveled back to Beijing and returned his carved seal of authority to the Emperor, signifying that the war was over. It would be the last great victory of Eldemboo's very long career. The next year at the age of 57 Eldemboo died and with him the last of that hardened generation. In 1805, Emperor Jiaqing was able to address the empire without the ongoing drain of resources due to the White Lotus War. It was a very bitter victory, most rebellions are. A chinese scholar wrote a few decades later that it was estimated that several hundred thousand rebels had been killed during the war. For the governmental forces, militiamen and countless civilians who died of war and starvation the scholar simply stated it could not be calculated. There was also no way to differentiate the White Lotus from the rebels as there were countless groups rebelling for differing reasons. A major problem with the White Lotus Rebellion aside from the death and horror was the loss of prestige for the Qing military. There was a sort of myth of invincibility for the Manchu warriors, hell they had conquered the Ming Dynasty afterall. But the scale of damage caused by the White Lotus Rebellion was eye opening, it took the Qing 8 years to quell it! And quell it is a strong word, for the White Lotus were not truly gone or anything, there would be sporadic revolts throughout the early 19th century, just not on the same scale as the 8 year war. The Manchu army of the early 19th century was not the same generation that once conquered the Ming. The wooden shoes were being cast off and silky slippers were starting to become the norm so to say for you Dan Carlin fans. To make everything much worse, the adoption of training and hiring militia's would have a devastating effect on the Qing dynasty until its demise in the 20th century. This was not a unique problem for China, many empires fell for this same reason. Take example the Egyptian empire under the Ptolemy's. Under the reign of Ptolemy IV Philophater the military was forced to hire local native Egyptians in large numbers for the first time to deal with the 4th Syrian war of 219-217BC. Prior to this war, the Ptolemiac empire had a military consisted mostly of Greeks and for a very important reason, they did not want to train or arm the native population who did not like them very much. When their backs were against the wall they trained around 30,000 native egyptians as Phalangites and hell it paid off during the battle of Raphia when they smashed the army of Antiochus III. The Ptolemies had finally ended what was an ongoing manpower problem. Oh and then the trained and armed Egyptians rebelled and created a separate kingdom that lasted 20 years. It was an enormous turning point in Ptolemaic history and a bitter lesson. For the Qing the hiring of militia armies will occur on countless occasions for countless reasons, but one thing is for sure it is part of a long list of reasons as to why the great dynasty will crumble. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The once mighty Qing have proven to be not so mighty anymore. The 8 year White Lotus Rebellion was quelled, but at what cost to the empire? With the death of Eldemboo came also the deaths of a generation of strong warriors. And while this rebellion was going on, something else was afoot, this time not an internal issue, but a growing external one.
Hallgatottsági adatok, felszaladni a tizedikre szívószálon lélegezve, hány lyuk van a szívószálon, ki mit mos meg először zuhanyzáskor, mi van a ragasztóval a tubusban, sok indiai a Szilícium-völgyben, banánnal a medve ellen, katolikus iskolában nyomógombos telefont, Hutong és a kerekek, nekem nincs tévém, Borbás Marcsi, tömegközéppont és mértani közép, hamburger vagy szendvics, cigi kávéval, ASMR, zsigerileg brácsát kívánó óvodások, ajánljuk-e fiféknek Bukowskit, Pizza King-style, máshogy gondolkozás elfogadása, miért kell kivágni a fákat, nyolcvannal az autópályán villanyautóval, kis kavicsok elkerülése, banánnal festeni, orrára köt valamit. Zenék: Jacques Palminger & Viktor Marek - Tüdeldub; Mine - AUDIOT; Fäaschtbänkler - Can you english please --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/csunyarosszmajom/message
In the latest episode of Life in Food with Laura Price, I speak to Nikki May, author of the brilliant novel Wahala, a darkly comic and bitingly subversive take on love, race and family featuring three British-Nigerian girlfriends who live in London. Inspired by a meal with Nikki's own girlfriends, the book weaves food through every chapter, so I was keen to talk to her about her love of food and how it reflects her British-Nigerian identity. In the episode, we talk about the power of food in friendship, the underrepresentation of Nigerian cuisine and how Nikki plans to be an extra in the upcoming TV adaptation of her book.About Nikki May: Nikki was born in Bristol and raised in Lagos until the age of 20, when she dropped out of medical school and moved to London. She began a career in advertising before going on to run a successful agency, and went on to write Wahala, which is now being adapted into major TV serial by the BBC.Follow Nikki on Instagram @nikkimaywriter.Follow Nikki on Twitter @NikkiOMay.Buy Wahala in the UK.Buy Wahala in the US.Visit Nikki's website.Nikki's restaurant recommendations:805 Restaurants in London.Enish in London.Cambio de Tercio in London.Hutong in Hong Kong.Casamia in Bristol. About the host: Laura Price is a multilingual journalist who travels the world writing about restaurants. A proud Yorkshire lass at heart, she spent several years in Latin America before settling in London with her two cats. Her first novel, Single Bald Female, was inspired by her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer at 29. A novelist by day and a food writer by night, Laura combines her two passions into this podcast, bringing out powerful stories of survival and healing in a language that everyone understands – food.Buy Single Bald Female.Visit Laura's website.Follow Laura on Instagram @laurapricewrites.Follow Laura on Twitter @laurapricewrite.Life in Food is hosted, produced and edited by Laura Price. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kan EU på veckans toppmöte pressa Kina att kritisera Rysslands krig i Ukraina - halva finansstaden Shanghai covidstängs 4 dagar men räcker det och hur är det att bo i en Hutong? Hör Björn Djurberg, Sveriges Radios Kinakorrespondent Och Marianne Björklund, Dagens Nyheters Asienkorrespondent.Programledare Hélène Benno Producent Lena Bejerot
Photo: Hutong 衚衕 or 胡同 (borrowing of Middle Mongolian quddug, "water well"), a type of narrow street or alley commonly associated with northern Chinese cities, especially Beijing. Here: a hutong of yesteryear, still occupied today. Entrance to a residence in a hutong #LondonCalling: PRC nationalizes the real estate bubble. @JosephSternberg @WSJOpinion https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lockdowns-made-child-misery-endemic-says-ofsted-l6tg52rg6
Overview of episode In Episode 75, Chris and Baz meet up to “Fly The Flag” for P&O Australia, Answer two listener questions and discuss the latest cruise news.Support the show - Buy Me a CoffeeThis podcast is only possible thanks to our supporters, simply buying a coffee keeps us on air. It is just like shouting your mate a coffee, and we consider our listeners close mates. https://bit.ly/2T2FYGXListener Questions & Maritime HistoryLiz asks about any tips for overcoming or preventing sea sickness / motion sickness?Chris asks about the history and significance of the Boston Cup (also known as the Britannia Cup) onboard QM2Image Credit: Boston Cup (also known as Britannia Cup) by Chris Frame - https://www.chriscunard.com/history-fleet/the-boston-cup/Itinerary of the WeekLe Boat – Self Drive Boating Holiday – Venice, ItalyLe Boat: https://www.leboat.com.au/Le Boat, Boats: https://www.leboat.com.au/boatsItinerary: https://www.leboat.com.au/boating-holidays/italy/veniceFurther Details: most good travel agents or ask le boat to recommend a good agent in your area. Cruise News from Previous WeekAzamara Makes its Return to South Africa this WinterMSC Magnifica to offer Winter City Getaways in Northern EuropeViking launches first China cruises Viking has kicked off its inaugural China coastal cruise from Shenzhen with Chinese-flagged ship YiduanPonant has launched Le Commandant CharcotBreak Free with NCL and Celebrate a New Era in CruisingVirgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady Hits The High Seas For An Epic MerMaiden VoyageP&O Cruises Australia Launches Spectacular 28-Night ‘Australian Explorer' Itinerary Delivering Opportunity to Cruise Connected OperatorsCarnival Cruise Line Announces Ship Restarts For January & February 2022Explora Journeys celebrates construction milestone for second ship, Explora II Latest Cruise NewsCancelled sailings – Royal Caribbean InternationalSTATEMENT FROM ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL: SYDNEY, Oct. 14, 2021A clear pathway for the return of foreign flagged ships and cruising in general is yet to be established by governments in Australia. Due to this, Royal Caribbean has made the decision to cancel all sailings on Ovation of the Seas from Sydney, 13th Dec. 2021 through 31st Mar. 2022.We know many of our guests look forward to a return to cruising and we regret the inconvenience this may cause. Booked guests and travel partners impacted will be contacted with further details.As Australia opens up, we are committed to progressing the proactive conversations with federal and state governments on recommencing cruising in Australia and hope to provide an update soon.Captain Kate McCue to take helm of Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Beyond From the Edge to Beyond: Highly Anticipated Ship Debuts April 2022Exciting news, as Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo announced Captain Kate McCue, the first American female cruise ship captain, will take the helm of Celebrity Beyond, the company's third ship in its industry-transforming Edge Series debuting in 2022. The dynamic and decorated captain will usher in a new era for the new-luxury brand, sailing a ship brought to life by a dream team of modern lifestyle icons including multi-award-winning British designer Kelly Hoppen CBE; celebrated American designer Nate Berkus; the culinary gifts of Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud; and featuring wellness experiences and products from goop CEO and founder Gwyneth Paltrow, the brand's Wellbeing Advisor. For Captain Kate, the seed to be a captain was planted following a cruise the then-12-year-old McCue took with her family. She told her father that she wanted to be a cruise director when she grew up. His advice to her was that she could do anything she wanted, including captaining the ship. Since that time Captain Kate has been a pioneer and trailblazer, breaking the gender barrier in 2015 when Lutoff-Perlo named her to be the first — and still only — American female to captain a major cruise ship – Celebrity Summit. She moved to Celebrity Equinox before being appointed to helm the exquisite Celebrity Edge® in September 2019. On 8 March, 2020, McCue further cemented her place in the history books when she captained the history-making, barrier-breaking sailing on Celebrity Edge that comprised a cruise ship's first-ever all-female bridge and officer team. Captain Kate also led the Celebrity fleet – and the industry – back into operation when, on 26 June, 2021, Celebrity Edge became the first cruise ship to sail with guests from a U.S. port in more than a year due to the global Coronavirus pandemic.Celebrity Beyond will not only hold the title of the largest ship in the fleet, but the distinction as the brand's most luxurious vessel.Celebrity Beyond stands at 17 decks high and 21 meters longer than her innovative predecessors Celebrity Edge (2018) and Celebrity Apex (2020). Every element of Celebrity Beyond's look and feel has been carefully curated with newly imagined spaces and expanded versions of the brand's popular signature spaces, includingMajestic Princess Maiden Call to San Francisco is First Cruise Ship Visit Since Global Industry PausePrincess Cruises, celebrated its return to San Francisco with the maiden call of Majestic Princess, the first cruise ship to visit the City by the Bay since the industry global pause of operations. Guests onboard Majestic Princess experienced the iconic attractions of San Francisco during a port call on a seven-day Classic California Coast voyage, sailing roundtrip from Los AngelesLong-time partners from the Port of San Francisco welcomed Princess Cruises back, recognizing the beneficial financial impact to local businesses.Majestic Princess offers a MedallionClass vacation, delivering the ultimate in effortless, personalized cruising. It begins with OceanMedallion™, a quarter-sized, wearable device that enables everything from touch-free boarding to locating loved ones anywhere on the ship, as well as enhanced service like having whatever guests need, delivered directly to them, wherever they are on the ship.Princess Cruises Announces Ship Restarts for February, March and April 2022Princess is announcing plans for additional ships return to service in the United States for February, March and April 2022 sailing from Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver and Ft. Lauderdale.Starting between February 13 and April 22 cruises onboard three additional Princess MedallionClass™ ships will take guests to the Caribbean, Hawaii and the California Coast. Crown Princess, Island Princess and Royal Princess join the eight Princess ships scheduled to restart in 2021, representing 79 percent of Princess' ship capacity.Crown Princess: On February 13, Crown Princess will join Majestic Princess and Grand Princess for sailings from Los Angeles to the California Coast and Hawaii. Then, Crown Princess will position to Seattle to sail on a couple of Pacific Northwest Coastal voyages and to Hawaii. Crown Princess will also add another Alaska departure with a new 8-day Inside Passage cruise with Glacier Bay starting on April 29, 2022.Island Princess: Travels to the Caribbean starting March 6, from Ft. Lauderdale on a 14-day, 10-day and series of 7-day cruises to the Southern, Eastern and Western Caribbean.Royal Princess: California Coast sailings from Vancouver beginning April 8, 2022.Koningsdam Marks Holland America Line's Return to West Coast Cruising with First Sailing Departing Today from San DiegoWaving flags, cheering team members and a “Welcome Home” sign greeted guests as they joined Holland America Line's Koningsdam at the Port of San Diego today for the cruise line's first West Coast departure since the start of the industry-wide pause.The Pinnacle Class vessel is the largest Holland America Line ship to be sailing from the West Coast, and Oct. 10 is the first in a series of 23 seven-day cruise to the California Coast or Mexico that run through April 3, 2022.In addition to Koningsdam, Zuiderdam also will sail roundtrip cruises from San Diego on longer Mexico explorations, a grand monthlong voyage to Tahiti, and Panama Canal departures. Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam each make one call in spring 2022.About Holland America Line in San Diego:Holland America Line has been homeporting out of the Port of San Diego since the 1990s. For the upcoming 2021-2022 season, the cruise line will bring more than 81,000 guests to the city, which will result in more than $35 million in direct spending.Operationally, each ship visit directly contributes $364,000 to the local economy in provisioning (fuel, food, flowers, piano tuning, supplies), port taxes, and spending. When Koningsdam and Zuiderdam call at San Diego, both ships will be using shore power, reducing the ships' carbon footprint.Throughout the years, Holland America Line has been actively involved with more than 30 nonprofits in San Diego County through giving, shipboard lunches and cruise donations, including La Jolla Playhouse, San Ysidro Health and Girl Scouts San Diego With half its U.S. fleet back in service and sailing from six U.S. homeports – the most in cruising – Carnival Cruise Line has had an accomplishment-filled three months since resuming guest operations this summer.The company's restart began on July 3, 2021 when Carnival Vista set sail from Galveston and since then 10 additional ships have resumed service, carrying 237,000 guests from homeports along the East and West Coasts and the Gulf of Mexico all while guests were devouring nearly half a million Guy Fieri burgers and enjoying 11,000 adrenaline-fueled rides on BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea that debuted on the new Mardi Gras July 31, 2021.But it's more than just burgers and roller coaster rides, Carnival's resumption of service has provided much-needed vacations to hundreds of thousands of loyal guests, a boost to the economies in its homeport and port-of-call communities and opportunities for its shipboard team members to support their families in 120 countries around the worldCarnival Cruise Line has announced plans to have 17 ships back in guest service by the end of 2021, with additional ships returning in January and February and the entire U.S. fleet back in guest operations by spring 2022.MSC Cruises receives green light to restart cruises in Brazil and South Africa The Cruise Division of MSC Group has confirmed cruise resumption in Brazil, following the green light from local health authority Anvisa for the resumption of cruise sailings in the country following a 20-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Three of MSC Cruises' biggest and most innovative vessels are set to operate in Brazilian waters between November 2021 and March 2022.MSC's return to Brazil is further evidence of the phased restart that saw the Company lead the cruise industry's resumption in August 2020 in the Mediterranean. It also aligns with MSC Cruises' long-established leadership in the country that will see the extension of its fleet's continued deployment into this season with the reopening of an important market.MSC Preziosa, MSC Seaside and MSC Splendida will homeport in Brazil. This will be MSC Seaside's first ever season in the country.Separately, the Cruise Division of MSC Group also welcomed the decision by the South African government that cruise ships will be able to operate this coming season of 2021 in-line with national health protocols following the industry's shutdown in 2020 as a result of the pandemic ashore.The Company is now waiting for the government's additional specific guidelines for the resumption of cruises for South African holidaymakers and it will soon reconfirm the schedule of cruises planned for the season 2021/22.MSC Cruises currently has 12 ships operating across the world with plans for up to 15 to be in operation for the 2021 season (November 2021 and March 2022).MSC Cruises adds second ship for World Cruise 2023MSC Cruises has revealed that a second ship, MSC Magnifica, will be joining MSC Poesia on the MSC World Cruise 2023. The two ships in an industry first will host over 5,000 guests for a journey around the world and they will both depart on 4 January from Civitavecchia and 5 January 2023 from Genoa, Italy, for simultaneous world cruises, albeit taking different routes around the globe.MSC Magnifica will replicate the very same itinerary that was supposed to be performed by MSC Poesia for the MSC World Cruise 2022. Unfortunately, the decision has been taken after careful consideration and assessment, to cancel the 2022 World Cruise. It would not have been possible to carry it out due to there being too many ports facing restrictions as a result of the pandemic.MSC Poesia and MSC Magnifica will set sail together in 2023 with embarkation in Civitavecchia (4 January) and Genoa, Italy (5 January), Marseille, France (6 January 6) and Barcelona, Spain (7 January). This will be a very special celebratory moment for our guests on the two ship as they prepare to set sail around the world.Once they cross the Mediterranean Sea, the ships will part ways in the Atlantic Ocean. MSC Magnifica will circumnavigate South America, cross the South Pacific Ocean then on to the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and then through the spectacular Suez Canal back into the Mediterranean Sea.MSC Poesia on the other hand, will transit the Panama Canal and travel up the West Coast of Central America and North America whilst moving on to the Pacific Ocean and then an extended period in Asia. Crossing the Indian Ocean, the ship will then return to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal.MSC Flagship, MSC Seashore's Naming Ceremony to take place at Ocean Cay Marine Reserve MSC Cruises revealed that their latest flagship, MSC Seashore will be officially named at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in The Bahamas on 18 November, making this the first Naming Ceremony for a cruise ship to be held at a private island. The event will be attended by travel advisors and media as well as other key Company stakeholders. Departing Miami on 17 November, invitees will be able to get a first look at the new ship – the newest and most innovative vessel to be deployed out of Miami this coming season – before she starts her inaugural 7-night cruise and U.S. season on 20 November and make the most of the endless on board entertainment, different activities as well as an incredible choice of bars and restaurants.Azamara Unveils 2023 and 2024 Itineraries, Spanning Every Corner of the GlobeAzamara – the boutique cruise line dedicated to Destination Immersion experiences – is pleased to unveil 39 new itineraries across its four-ship fleet for 2023 and 2024. This latest deployment will take Azamara guests to every corner of the world, with each ship embarking in a different location: Azamara Pursuit® in South Africa, Azamara Quest® in South America, Azamara Journey® in Australia and Asia, and Azamara OnwardSM in the Mediterranean and Caribbean regions. Azamara's winter voyages will also feature several new shore excursions, pre- and post- cruise land programs, and AzAmazing Evenings®, all designed to bring guests deeper into the heart of each destination and spark a sense of wonder as travelers explore the unique culture of each city.xclusive to Azamara and offered during late-nights and overnights in port, the brand's signature AzAmazing Evenings are designed to connect guests to the local culture of a destination and are uniquely tailored to each location. Highlights of the AzAmazing Evenings include:The Living Past of the Amazon: In Manaus, Brazil, guests will discover the living past of the Amazon Rainforest. The four-part show entitled, “North Symmetry. The Glorifications of Nature in the Amazon,” will take guests on a journey from pre-Columbian indigenous civilizations to modern times. Through native dances, rituals, and traditional folklore music, guests will be educated on some of the mysteries of Amazon culture.Traditional Korean Art Performances: In Busan, South Korea, watch as multiple traditional Korean art forms are combined to create a spectacular show. Enjoy NANTA, one of the most famous non-verbal performances in Korea, which combines Korean folk and modern music to create a unique yet familiar experience; Korean dance performed while wearing the traditional Hanbok; and Taekkyeon, a traditional Korean martial art that uses fluid, rhythmic movements to strike an opponent, all in one captivating performance.Italian Arias Performed by Società Filarmonia: In Ravenna, Italy, listen to brilliantly composed, classic arias made popular by internationally renowned opera singer Maria Callas. The arias will be directed by Alfredo Barchi and performed by Società Filarmonia, which was established in 1998 to bring together diverse musical experiences, skills, and emerging talents.Azamara continues to reaffirm its commitment to Destination Immersion® with a diverse selection of new shore excursions. Highlights from the new shore excursions include:Santarém, Brazil: In the city known as the “Pearl of Tapajós” for its location at the merging of the Tapajós and Amazon ricers, cruise through Maica Lake and enjoy stunning views of the Amazon Basin. Guests will spot local inhabitants, many species of birds, and possibly even the unique Amazon river mammal, a fresh water pink dolphin (Boto Cor-de-Rosa). Dakar, Senegal: Join some of the most well-known Senegalese chefs from the region's local culinary school for a cooking tutorial. Guests will learn how to make signature Senegalese dishes followed by a meet and greet with the head of the culinary school to discuss cooking tips and techniques. The afternoon will conclude with a delicious lunch and recipes to take home to cook Senegalese dishes. Tinos, Greece: Spend the afternoon with a renowned Greek chef for a food and wine pairing with island products, like local cheeses such as Tinos Graviera and the king of the cheeses, Kopanisti, a soft cheese with a distinct peppery-hot taste. Indulge in local wines made from Assyrtiko grapes for white wine and Mavrotragano for the red. Island-grown fruits and vegetables, such as sun-dried tomatoes, pears, artichokes, and capers, will also be enjoyed. For travelers looking to explore the destination beyond their voyage and immerse themselves ever further, highlights of the pre- and-post-cruise land programs include:Stay Local in Hong Kong (two-night): Explore the dynamic city of Hong Kong, stopping at the famous Victoria Peak for panoramic views of Kowloon and the surrounding islands, the tranquil Nan Lian Garden – designed in the Tang Dynasty-style with hills, water features, trees, rocks, and wooden structures – and go to the top of the 100th floor of the tallest building in Hong Kong. Additional highlights include a traditional Dim Sum lunch, a visit to Wong Tai Sin Temple, where locals go to pray for good health, and shopping for art products in Stanley Market. Experience China's Treasures (four-night): From The Great Wall of China to charming local markets, journey through the ancient wonders and cultural riches of the region. Guests will explore the lakes, pavilions, and pagodas of the Summer Palace, known as the best-preserved royal garden in the world; learn how to make Chinese dumplings with the locals of Hutong, the oldest residential area in Beijing; and visit the Terracotta Army Museum, home to a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of China's first Emperor, who are buried with him to protect the emperor during his afterlife.Windstar Cruises Takes Delivery of Star Pride in Palermo, ItalyWindstar Cruises has taken delivery of its all-suite Star Plus Class Star Pride today at Fincantieri's shipyard in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. The yacht is the third and final of the line's Star Plus Class yachts to be stretched and transformed over a multi-year, $250 million project that is considered to be the most complex and comprehensive renovation project ever undertaken in small ship cruising.Star Pride will remain in Italy until the yacht resumes guest operations in April in the Mediterranean. Sister yacht Star Breeze begins sailing in Tahiti next week, while Star Legend is completing a short season in the Mediterranean before sailing to the Caribbean in November.All three yachts increased in maximum capacity from 212 guests to 312 and now provide more of what Windstar's customers want, like additional dining experiences (one is an outdoor barbecue concept with grilling guru Steven Raichlen and the other a Spanish small plates restaurant from Anthony Sasso, one of the youngest chefs to be recognized by the Michelin Guide), a true spa and fitness center, an elegant infinity pool, and more outdoor deck areas. These three all-suite yachts, together with Windstar's three classic sailing yachts, remain small enough to continue to visit the special small ports and waterways of the world.In addition, due to the pandemic, Star Pride and all of Windstar's yachts received renovations to update HVAC systems, adding new hospital grade high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) filters along with a UV-C air zapping process (ultraviolet germicidal irradiation) to clean the air on board.Viking Announces Newest Ocean Ship and Three New ItinerariesViking today announced its newest ocean ship, Viking Saturn, will join the company's award-winning fleet in early 2023. The 930-guest sister ship will spend her maiden season sailing three new itineraries in Scandinavian and Nordic countries, including two 15-day journeys, Iconic Iceland, Greenland & Canada and Iceland & Norway's Arctic Explorer, and the 29-day Greenland, Iceland, Norway & Beyond voyage. In addition to the three new itineraries, Viking also announced today that the company will bring back the popular 8-day Iceland's Natural Beauty itinerary starting in August 2023.New and Returning 2023 Nordic Itineraries:Iconic Iceland, Greenland & Canada (NEW) – This 15-day itinerary spans Iceland, Greenland and the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Sailing between New York City and Reykjavik, guests will admire the volcanic landscape of the Westman Islands, enjoy the relaxed pace of life in Djúpivogur, and stroll the streets of picturesque towns like Seydisfjördur and Akureyri.Iceland & Norway's Arctic Explorer (NEW) – On this 15-day journey, guests will discover life in the far north during a voyage across the Arctic Circle and along the distant shores of Norway and Iceland. After enjoying an overnight stay in Viking Saturn‘s home port of Bergen, follow the footsteps of Vikings as you visit Honningvåg's remote North Cape and explore Longyearbyen, which is home to more polar bears than people.Greenland, Iceland, Norway & Beyond (NEW) – Guests can also choose to combine these two new itineraries for an epic 29-day voyage. Departing from the former Hanseatic League city of Bergen, guests will trace the path of Vikings through the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Iceland and Greenland before making their way to Canada and concluding in New York.Iceland's Natural Beauty – Returning in 2023, this popular 8-day roundtrip journey from Reykjavik explores the majestic shores of Iceland. Sailing on Viking Star®, guests will encounter unparalleled natural beauty, witness cascading waterfalls and pristine fjord landscapes. Follow in the footsteps of the intrepid explorer Leif Eriksson, observe the local wildlife and immerse yourself in nature.Viking Saturn – Viking's ocean ships have a gross tonnage of 47,800 tons, with 465 staterooms that can host 930 guests. Viking's award-winning ocean fleet includes Viking Star®, Viking Sea®, Viking Sky®, Viking Orion®, Viking Jupiter® and Viking Venus®. Viking Mars® and Viking Neptune® will join the fleet in 2022; Viking Saturn will join in early 2023. Classified by Cruise Critic as “small ships,” Viking's ocean fleet features modern Scandinavian design with elegant touches, intimate spaces and attention to detail. Captain Cook Cruises release their sailings to 2024Captain Cook Cruises have released their schedule for Reef Endeavour small ship cruises exploring some 90 of the reefs, beaches and islands in the Fiji group over 4 unique 3 to 11 night itineraries through to March 2024. The schedule also includes a brand new 7 night Discovery Cruise to the Lau & Kadavu in addition to the 11 night Lau experience.While Fiji's borders were closed, the Reef Endeavour has operated cruises for local residents. The new 7 night Lau & Kadavu Discovery cruise in April sailed with a full complement of lucky Fiji locals and was so popular the company decided to add the new cruise to their regular schedule.The schedule includes special cruises over Christmas and New year to the Mamanuca & Yasawa islands, 3 weeks of cruising to these beautiful islands every month from January 2022 plus a monthly remote Discovery cruise on selected dates on one of 3 incredible itineraries; the 7 & 11 night Lau & Kadavu, the 7 night Remote North Discovery cruise to Levuka, Savusavu & Taveuni and the 7 night 4 Cultures Discovery cruise circumnavigating Vanuabalavu.Disney Cruise Line Announces Return to Favorite Tropical Destinations in the Bahamas, Caribbean and Mexico in Early 2023In early 2023, Disney Cruise Line will return to top tropical destinations in the Bahamas – including Disney's private island, Castaway Cay – as well as the Caribbean and the Mexican Riviera, delighting guests of all ages with one-of-a-kind vacations at sea. A variety of enchanting itineraries will set sail coast-to-coast from U.S. home ports including Miami and Port Canaveral, Florida; New Orleans; Galveston, Texas; and San Diego.Bookings open to the public on Oct. 21, 2021.Disney Cruise Line Unveils New Experiences for Kids, Tweens and Teens Aboard Disney WishA high-tech starship on a mission to assist the Resistance. A nautical playground where little cadets train with the most magical captains at sea. A hip hangout with an ultra-exclusive VIP list.With the addition of Star Wars: Cargo Bay, Mickey and Minnie Captain's Deck and The Hideaway, Disney Cruise Line completes an unrivaled roster of new and reimagined experiences for children of all ages coming to the Disney Wish in summer 2022. More than just highly themed spaces, these kids' clubs will transform into living worlds through magical entertainment presented with the care and expertise of Disney-trained counsellors.Disney's Oceaneer ClubChildren ages 3 to 12 will step into their favorite Disney worlds at Disney's Oceaneer Club, a real-life wonderland featuring more stories than ever before. Previously announced spaces include Marvel Super Hero Academy, a high-tech facility for training the next generation of heroes; Fairytale Hall, a royal trio of activity rooms inspired by Rapunzel, Belle and “Frozen” friends; and Walt Disney Imagineering Lab, a unique opportunity for kids to discover the secrets of world-renowned Disney Imagineers. Rounding out Disney's Oceaneer Club are two brand-new spaces – Star Wars: Cargo Bay and Mickey and Minnie Captain's Deck. New Adventures at Star Wars: Cargo BayThe peculiar creatures and legendary characters of the Star Wars galaxy will take center stage at Star Wars: Cargo Bay. This first-of-its-kind immersive experience will place kids in the important role of creature handlers as they learn to manage a mischievous menagerie of exotic beings from across the galaxy, including a porg, Loth-cat, worrt and more. Throughout the cruise, they'll use augmented reality-enabled datapads to track and study the creatures on a series of special assignments. But there's more to this job than meets the dianoga eye: The new crew will actually be joining an important mission to deliver a pair of secret stowaways, Rey and Chewbacca, back to the Resistance.During the interactive “Star Wars: Creature Challenge” experience, the newly minted caretakers will be put to the test as they help feed the lifelike creatures and encounter some of the most dangerous beings in the galaxy. When things go awry, they'll need to call on the expertise of Rey and Chewbacca — and even channel the Force — to secure the ship from destruction.A Celebration of Exploration at Mickey and Minnie Captain's DeckSpecially designed for the youngest sailors at Disney's Oceaneer Club, Mickey and Minnie Captain's Deck is a nautical playground inspired by the colors, icons and magic of Disney Cruise Line. This brand-new space will be filled with an array of maritime-themed physical and sensory-style games and activities, such as pipe slides and crawl-throughs, ship's wheels, “busy boxes” fashioned as ship controls and cushy life preserver seating areas.When little cadets enter the space, they'll set sail on a fun-filled adventure and enjoy quality play time with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse themselves. At select times throughout the voyage, the space will be open to little ones' families for group play, and the toddlers from It's a Small World Nursery will also get dedicated access to the club to explore, learn and play with Mickey and Minnie. The signature experience will be “Minnie's Captain Academy,” a high-energy training session for kids to exercise their bodies (through playful games, dancing and maritime “drills”) and their minds, testing their imagination and ingenuity during a series of challenges tied to STEAM principles (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). Captain Minnie will inspect their progress and officially declare them honorary captains!Quality Play Time with Super Heroes, Princesses and “Frozen” FriendsAt Disney's Oceaneer Club, kids will have more opportunities than ever to have fun with Disney characters during expertly developed games and programs – and when characters stop by, they will stay to play. Like “Star Wars: Creature Challenge” and “Minnie's Captain Academy,” each space will offer uniquely interactive, memorable experiences that are exclusive to Disney Cruise Line.At Marvel Super Hero Academy, young recruits will join a hands-on training session with Ant-Man and The Wasp, who will teach them how to create and test their very own Pym Particles, the technology that allows these heroes to shrink and grow objects (and themselves).Also at Marvel Super Hero Academy, kids will team up with the masterminds from Pym Technologies and Wakandan Design Group — including a special appearance by Black Panther — to thwart Taskmaster's evil plan to hack into the academy's system and steal the world's most advanced hero tech.When the hub of Disney's Oceaneer Club transforms into the Snuggly Duckling tavern from Walt Disney Animation Studios' “Tangled,” kids will have the best day ever with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider as they embark on a scavenger hunt to recover the missing pieces of the Snuggly Duckling sign.In Belle's Library, children will use their imaginations to create the most daring, hilarious, fantastical new story for their favorite booklover. Belle will lend her wits and her magic mirror to help determine the characters, plot and conclusion of the brand-new tale.At Anna and Elsa's Sommerhus, the newest citizens of Arendelle will join a special celebration of Queen Anna's recent coronation by acting out the history of how she became queen — taking on the roles and iconic movie moments of characters like Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, Hans and more — before the queen, her sister and their snowman friend show up to join the fun.More Fun for Disney's Coolest CruisersOlder kids will chill and play in their own way aboard the Disney Wish at trendy hangouts that combine sophisticated design with youthful Disney touches. At Edge, tweens ages 11 to 14 will have fun, make friends and play games in a bright, colorful hangout inspired by a chic New York City loft. Teens ages 14 to 17 will have their own dedicated club at Vibe, a stylish space inspired by a Parisian artists' loft with classic architectural elements, vibrant neon signs and funky pop art.For the first time on a Disney ship, the Disney Wish will feature a third club for tweens and teens: The Hideaway. This hip new hangout will offer older kids and young adults a chill place to relax, listen to music and more in a posh setting complete with a dance floor and DJ booth – perfect for karaoke contests and dance competitions. The Hideaway will be adorned in a vibrant color palette, retro-inspired design details, a stylized “Hiya, pal” mural and disco ball lights. Adjacent to Vibe, this flexible venue can be opened to the teen club, closed off for tween activities and even reserved especially for guests ages 18 to 20.All three spaces will be bursting with creative design details, comfortable lounge space, high-tech entertainment and a jam-packed schedule of can't-miss activities.Edge will boast an indoor solarium area with a sunny overhead skylight effect, carpet patterned with fresh grass and daisies, a back wall mural of a bright blue sky, and games inspired by a colorful outdoor city park. Throughout the space, graphic art displays called “photo walls” will provide ample opportunities for tweens to capture cool, shareable vacation pics that will be the envy of their friends back home.Vibe will feature regal French columns and paneled walls covered with whimsical pop art murals and colorful graffiti; a larger-than-life, brightly painted Mickey Mouse statue; and a traditional French Morris column plastered with Disney-inspired travel posters. Combine those with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, and every angle in Vibe will offer a selfie-worthy backdrop for the trendiest teens on the high seas.Both Edge and Vibe will offer a main lounge space with cozy furnishings, an oversized LED screen and plenty of room to hang out as a group, as well as comfortable niches for solo gaming and movie watching. Each venue will include complimentary refreshments: Edge will have a soda bar, Vibe will serve soda and coffee drinks, and The Hideaway will offer smoothies.Boom, baby! Tweens and teens are in for a whole “llama” fun during customized, counselor-led programming designed to engage their unique interests, such as a hilarious new competition themed to the fan-favorite Walt Disney Animation Studios' film, “The Emperor's New Groove.” And the fun doesn't stop there: The activities will even extend into other areas of the ship, with special events for tweens and teens hosted in Hero Zone, Luna and more.It's a Small World NurseryAs previously announced, cruisers ages 6 months to 3 years will be cared for at It's a Small World Nursery, where babysitting services will be provided in a whimsical environment inspired by the beloved Disney attraction of the same name. Here, little ones will play games, make crafts, watch movies, read books and spend time with Disney friends under the expert care of Disney-trained counselors.Maiden Voyage and Inaugural SeasonThe Disney Wish will sail its maiden voyage on June 9, 2022, followed by a season of three- and four-night cruises to Nassau, Bahamas, and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, from Port Canaveral, Florida.And moreEthical Cruise T-Shirts Now available branded podcast t-shirts, cruise-tees and Christmas gifts or design your own in the studio. All using organic cotton, printed using green energy and plastic-free packaging! https://bit.ly/32G7RdhJoin the show:If you have a cruise tip, burning question or want to record a cruise review get in touch with us via the website https://thebigcruisepodcast.com/join-the-show/ Guests: Chris Frame: https://bit.ly/3a4aBCg Chris's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisFrameOfficialPeter Kollar: https://www.cruising.org.au/Home Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2XvD7tF Castbox: https://bit.ly/2xkGBEI Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/2RuY04u I heart Radio: https://ihr.fm/3mVIEUASpotify: https://spoti.fi/3caCwl8 Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2JWE8Tz Pocket casts: https://bit.ly/2JY4J2M Tune in: https://bit.ly/2V0Jrrs Podcast Addict: https://bit.ly/2BF6LnEImage Credit: P&O Australia - Flying The Flag, by Chris Frame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
這次請朋友到TRB Hutong餐廳吃飯，非常值得，讓大家都有一次難忘的經歷 非常推薦大家如果要讓人感受賓至如歸的話，這是一家非常好的選擇 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
EDITOR'S NOTE | Yênly Trần Disclaimer: Để cuộc trò chuyện giữ được sự chân thật và tự nhiên, tập podcast này sử dụng nhiều tiếng Anh và có thể khiến người nghe không thoải mái. Thính giả vui lòng cân nhắc trước khi nghe! Trong tập ngày hôm nay mình và Duy đã đi tìm Chu Hồng Hà để lắng nghe chia sẻ về những ảnh hưởng của một mối quan hệ lãng mạn đến quá trình phát triển bản thân của chúng ta như thế nào. Đây là một cuộc trò chuyện cởi mở bất ngờ từ cả 3 người, bởi lẽ sẽ thật khó để nói về tình yêu mà không có sự gần gũi nhất định. Mình và Duy cũng thực sự rất tự hào khi được Hà chia sẻ rằng buổi phỏng vấn này đã làm Hà phải nhìn lại nhiều khoảnh khắc quan trọng trong cuộc đời và vì vậy mà Hà đã tìm thấy những cách nhìn mới về những vấn đề cũ. Chúng mình đã nói đến những khía cạnh của một mối quan hệ lãng mạn như: có sự chênh lệch giữa ‘in relationship' với ai đó và yêu ai đó không? Hay quan niệm về việc chúng ta muốn được làm người chinh phục người mình yêu hay muốn được yêu nhiều hơn - và liệu có nên phân biệt những vai trò nhất định trong tình yêu như vậy không? Mình và Duy rất mong các bạn sẽ tìm thấy nhiều điều thú vị trong cuộc trò chuyện này - và nếu không thì cũng cho chúng mình biết vì sao - 'the finding audio' sẽ luôn luôn đón nhận những phản hồi từ thính giả, dù tốt hay xấu. Và các bạn có thể tìm chúng mình tại Facebook & Instagram @thefindingaudio. Ngoài ra bọn mình sẽ luôn có tập mới vào thứ 4 hàng tuần trên Spotify, Google Podcast, và Apple Podcast. Cảm ơn Dreamplex Coworking Space đã đồng hành và hỗ trợ 'the finding audio' thực hiện podcast này. Guest: Chu Hồng Hà Host: Yênly Trần, Duy Tin Producer: Pinkie Nguyễn, Hoa Lê, Trung Dũng --- VỀ KHÁCH MỜI Khách mời của ‘the finding audio' ngày hôm nay là chị Chu Hồng Hà, hay còn được biết đến với tên gọi Hà Chu, một nhân vật cực kỳ quen thuộc trong lĩnh vực F&B Marketing. Có thể nói, cô gái cá tính này là người đứng sau sự thành công trong chiến lược marketing của một loạt thương hiệu lớn như Yu Tang, Manwah, Hutong, tới những thương hiệu F&B tập trung vào thị trường ngách và để lại nhiều dấu ấn đặc sắc trên bản đồ F&B Việt Nam như the KAfe, Me me bistro, Sadhu Chay, Nhà hàng Tầm Vị. Hà Chu cũng là một trong những người đầu tiên chủ động xây dựng thương hiệu cá nhân trong việc làm truyền thông chuyên sâu cho một lĩnh vực, đồng thời trở thành founder của COOKED - Trường học đầu tiên tại Việt Nam chuyên sâu về Kinh doanh và Marketing ngành F&B. Không chỉ là một cô gái có định hướng nghề nghiệp rõ ràng và quyết liệt từ khi còn trẻ, Hà Chu còn là một người đề cao sự trải nghiệm, thích thử nghiệm những điều mới mẻ và có những chiêm nghiệm sâu sắc về cuộc sống. Tuy nhiên, ngày hôm nay sẽ không phải là một cuộc trò chuyện về F&B hay marketing, mà thính giả của ‘the finding audio' sẽ cùng chị Ly và mình lắng nghe chị Hà chia sẻ về hành trình tìm được sự thấu hiểu sâu sắc hơn về bản thân thông qua những trải nghiệm cảm xúc trong tình yêu và các mối quan hệ lãng mạn. Chúng ta sẽ bắt đầu hành trình đi tìm Chu Hồng Hà ngay bây giờ. --- NGUỒN THAM KHẢO: (1) Series 'Sex Education' - Netflix (2) Sách 'Tôi Nói Gì Khi Nói Về Chạy Bộ (What I Talk About When I Talk About Running)' - Haruki Murakami (3) Sách 'Alain nói về hạnh phúc (Alain De Botton)' - Emile Chartier (4) Sách 'This Is Me Letting You Go' - Heidi Priebe (5) Sách 'Trà Hoa Nữ (La Dame aux camélias)' - Alexandre Dumas con --- VỀ 'the finding audio' ‘the finding audio' là podcast series về chủ đề ‘Failure & Success (
Our Luxury Voice joining us today is Brian Tong, General Manager, Waldorf Astoria Beijing. Brian brings over 20 years of experience before joining Waldorf Astoria Beijing. His previous tenures were with the Marriott and Starwood brands throughout Asia and he has held different roles and positions in New York, Hong Kong, Taipei, Xiamen and Macau where he has gained a significant amount of important and vital experience. Opened in 2014, Waldorf Astoria Beijing marks the second Waldorf Astoria hotel in China and the brand’s continued international expansion. Standing as a dramatic bronze building, the hotel is a landmark in the heart of the Wangfujing district, and an icon where time transcends through the rich Chinese tradition to today’s sophisticated affluent lifestyle. In this episode, Joanne finds out from Brian how he is innovating to differentiate his hotel, attract a 100% domestic market and please an ever-demanding luxury guest in the heart of China’s capital city. About this episode:Company Name Waldorf Astoria, BeijingCompany Website https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/bjswawa-waldorf-astoria-beijing/ About Infinite Luxury:LUXURY VOICES is a podcast curated by Infinite Luxury Group, a luxury Sales, Marketing, Communications specialist based in Asia. www.infiniteluxurygroup.com Follow us: LinkedIN www.linkedin.com/in/infinite-luxury-a132271bInstagram infiniteluxurymanifestoWeChat InfiniteLuxury-jxm Contact us: WeChat InfiniteLuxuryEmail hongkong@infiniteluxurygroup.com Podcast available on iTunes, Spotify, online or wherever you listen to your episodes
Questa settimana l'ospite di Studio è Severino Cirillo, autore di 7 romanzi e creatore del più importante corso d'Italia sulla Scienza della Felicità. Chi è Severino Cirillo Non ha mai accettato una vita “imposta” e che fosse meno di straordinaria. Ma prima di scoprire che aveva ragione ha dovuto attraversare anni di lotta con se stesso e chi c’era intorno, a quanto pare arreso al fatto che “la vita normale” fosse la via. Il giorno della sua vera ribellione, se n’è andato per qualche anno da casa e tra Cammini di Santiago, amori folli, passeggiate negli Hutong cinesi e le notti degli inverni Finlandesi, ha capito che una vita felice è accessibile a tutti. Perché non erano i viaggi a crearla, ma gli occhi che osservavano quei viaggi. Da allora, memore dei suoi trascorsi in Bicocca a studiare psicologia per star bene con se stesso, ha cominciato a formarsi per l’insegnamento e per la salute e il benessere, con i suoi studi di Health Science alla University of the People e i corsi specifici di BerkeleyX e Yale. Non ha nessuna intenzione di smettere di imparare, né di divertirsi e di creare. Che siano romanzi, film, pezzi di teatro e corsi, la sua vita è dedicata alla gioia e alla bellezza dell’essere umani. Ha appena creato CLICK per aiutare le persone a trovare la propria strada testando in brevissimo tempo alternative alla propria vita. Se vuoi conoscere i retroscena dell'intervista, le mie considerazioni personali e scoprire +50 episodi che ho già registrato in Studio con artisti, innovatori e visionari vai sul mio sito e iscriviti alla mia newsletter. https://andreaventurelli.com
On dating apps, movie protagonist syndrome and life as an agony aunt. Author, journalist and co-host of The High Low podcast, Dolly Alderton, joins Jay for a spot of lunch high above London at The Shard, to share stories and delicious food.Jay and Dolly eat at Hutong: https://hutong.co.uk A Somethin' Else / Jay Rayner production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Beijing is renowned for its alleys containing its traditional Hutongs, which feature the unique folk architecture and culture of the ancient city. For many people who come to live and work here in Beijing, the city is attractive not only for its historical traditions, but also for its cultural diversity. In today's program, we will bring you the life of Lau Hiu-fai, a Hongkonger who moved to Beijing 16 years ago.
**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.
I sat down with Grace, a Chinese immigrant living in America. We learn about donkey burgers, The Dragon Escalator, and she fills me in on what a Hutong is. We also discuss educational differences between our two countries and some similarities we both share as well. We both grew up in totally different environments and yet still share a fair amount in common even with such drastic cultural differences. I really enjoyed this discussion and hope all who listen do too. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jamie-goodman/message
-back to Wuhan-confusion at the train station -credit card swallowed-a Hutong in Beijing-antique market bargaining-Summer palace and calligraphy with water-Forbidden city, Tiananmen Square and chicken noodle soup-Climbing the wall and bob sliding down-Tasty fish-cold
Cosa significa essere di buona forchetta? Ecco a voi un ristorante Italiano nel cuore degli hutong di Pechino!
![[insert quest here]](https://ivyfm.s3.amazonaws.com/i320/857942.jpg)
A mission recorder has been pulled out of a quarantined space station. A group of scientists watch the XP, searching for clues as to what happened to the mission that went into the zone.
Xinhua Zhou is currently Senior Vice President of Operations at Terminus Technologies, a smart city and internet of things startup backed by China Everbright Group and IDG Capital, amongst others. Prior to Terminus, Xinhua was a General Partner at Everbright-Focus Media New Industry Fund, where she closed investments in portfolio companies such as Yixia Technology which produced popular livestream apps Yizhibo and Miaopai, fintech 米么金服 mi-me.com focused on female consumers, and 寿全斋 Shou Quan Zhai a 250 year old Chinese health products brand. Before entering venture capital industry, Xinhua was at Dianping, China’s top groupbuying company and closed strategic investments in companies such as food delivery platform ele.me and O2O karaoke startup一起唱 Yi Qi Chang. Xinhua completed her MBA at The Wharton Business School and Bachelor degree in Engineering from Shanghai Jiaotong University Key points covered: Journey to from a startup to a VC and then to a startup What do LPs look for when GPs approach them to raise a fund? What type of due diligence does the LP do on the GP? Investment logic behind some of Xinhua’s portfolio companies: Why did she invest in a ~250 year old brand? Transitioning from fund to startup: What are the learnings? Tips for foreign startups looking to enter China market Items mentioned: Xinhua’s previous startup: Dianping (now Meituan Dianping) Case study investment: Shou Quan Zhai Twitter: (at)hutongv, (at)haymarkethq Hutong (Ad)Ventures is a podcast on how to succeed in China featuring top venture capital investors, founders and operators with real China experiences. Hutong (Ad)Ventures is part of Haymarket HQ. Hosted by Jemma Xu.
Upon graduating from Columbia University in 2005, Guy moved to Beijing to found his first startup. Since then Guy has been a serial entrepreneur in China and in 2010 sold his third startup’s core technology to a publicly listed company. Guy is currently co-founder and CEO of education company Vericant which helps US schools to better understand their Chinese applicants through on-demand video interviews. Vericant is backed by Shunwei Capital, one of China’s top tier venture capital firms with Xiaomi’s founder Lei Jun as its Founding Partner. Key points covered: Guy’s background and how did he come to start Vericant? University admissions is a competitive niche, how does Vericant differentiate from competitors? Why did Shunwei invest in Vericant? Why did Vericant take capital from Shunwei? What to get out of Board meetings? What are the learnings from managing a distributed team? Items mentioned: Favourite book: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Most inspiring education company: Vipkid founded by Mi Wenjuan Twitter: (at)hutongv, (at)haymarkethq Hutong (Ad)Ventures is a podcast on how to succeed in China featuring top venture capital investors, founders and operators with real China experiences. Hutong (Ad)Ventures is part of Haymarket HQ. Hosted by Jemma Xu.
Well known by many expats in China, Michelle Garnaut is a pioneering restaurateur and founder of a series of popular upmarket restaurants in Hong Kong and mainland China, including M at the Fringe in Hong Kong, M on the Bund and Glam in Shanghai, and Capital M in Beijing, together forming the M Restaurant Group. Over the years, M Restaurant Group has attracted esteemed guests from all walks of life such as Tim Cook, Rupert Murdoch, Nicole Kidman and Prince Andrew of Great Britain, just to name a few. With a career spanning over 30 years in Mainland China and Hong Kong, Michelle is heavily involved in the local philanthropy and culture scene, such as founding Shanghai International Literary Festival and the Capital Literary Festival in Beijing, serving as the Asia jury president for Cartier Women’s Initiative Award and working with numerous Chinese charities in education, arts and culture. Key points covered: Michelle’s background and her path to becoming a pioneering restaurateur in China Why moving from Hong Kong to Shanghai and why opening on the Bund? Anecdotes on navigating through the issues she encountered as a foreign entrepreneur Learnings from Capital M closing down Team - what to do when teams become broken? How to manage firing staff? Items mentioned: Favourite book: Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker; Middlemarch by George Elliot Twitter: (at)hutongv, (at)haymarkethq Hutong (Ad)Ventures is a podcast on how to succeed in China featuring top venture capital investors, founders and operators with real China experiences. Hutong (Ad)Ventures is part of Haymarket HQ. Hosted by Jemma Xu.
Simon Henry, who, with co-founder Andrew Taylor, recently launched Uwai which is a tourism platform providing digital infrastructure for Chinese tourists to explore and engage with local businesses, governments and corporations. Launched in South Australia only a few weeks ago, Uwai has already onboarded 850 businesses and will be rolling out across tourist destinations globally. Simon and Andrew are probably best known for co-founding Juwai, one of China’s largest global property portals and one of the few trusted brands created by foreigners. They successfully exited Juwai in Dec 2016. Key points covered: Simon’s background and what led to Juwai and Uwai. What was it like to exit Juwai? What are the top 3 learnings from Juwai that have been applied to Uwai? What is the business model for UWai? Content and channels - Different methods of getting to the target consumers for Juwai and Uwai Why launch in Adelaide, not in cities more popular with Chinese tourists? How to build a global team from Day 1? Items mentioned: Favourite book: Platform Revolution by Geoffrey Parker Twitter: (at)hutongv, (at)haymarkethq Hutong (Ad)Ventures is a podcast on how to succeed in China featuring top venture capital investors, founders and operators with real China experiences. Hutong (Ad)Ventures is part of Haymarket HQ. Hosted by Jemma Xu.
Dr. Gang Lu is the founder and CEO of Technode, one of China’s premier tech media companies and also the official partner of TechCrunch in China, covering the latest news on start-ups, venture capital and industry trends in China and Asia. With strong academic background in wireless communications, Gang is very passionate about the Open Web concept and plays very active role in building efficient channels among Asian local markets as well as between Asia web and global industry. Gang obtained an MSc and PhD in wireless communications from the University of Sheffield, U.K. Key points covered: Gang’s background and how did Technode start Current business model: why work with corporates? What are the concerns behind setting up a fund? Monetising or not: difference between China and Western countries. What are the important metrics for a media company like Technode? Why does Technode focus on other metrics too? What difficulties have Technode encountered? In retrospect, what are the different sides to taking investor money? Tips for foreign companies entering China market Items mentioned: Favourite book: The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson Twitter: (at)hutongv, (at)haymarkethq Hutong (Ad)Ventures is a podcast on how to succeed in China featuring top venture capital investors, founders and operators with real China experiences. Hutong (Ad)Ventures is part of Haymarket HQ. Hosted by Jemma Xu.
Mike Zhang is the founder and CEO of Walnut co-working space in Chengdu in southwestern China. Born in China, grew up in Canada, Mike returned to China to found Walnut in 2015, the first co-working brand in Chengdu. Unlike most returnees or expats, Mike’s research took him to start in Chengdu, not the usual Tier 1 cities. A big thanks to Brodie Burns - Williamson from the Australian Consulate Chengdu for suggesting Mike as a good interviewee candidate. Key points covered: Background to Walnut Why choosing Chengdu? Differences between Chengdu and a Tier 1 city. Walnut vs other co-working spaces: differences Thoughts on coworking space vs accelerators/incubators What are some of the interesting startups that have been in Walnut? Are they a reflection of the Chengdu startup scene? As a returnee Chinese, what are the difficulties faced and how to overcome them? Items mentioned: Favourite book: The House of Morgans by Ron Chernow Favourite Chinese investor: Zhang Lei, Hillhouse Capital Twitter: (at)hutongv, (at)haymarkethq Hutong (Ad)Ventures is a podcast on how to succeed in China featuring top venture capital investors, founders and operators with real China experiences. Hutong (Ad)Ventures is part of Haymarket HQ. Hosted by Jemma Xu.
Daniel Shi is the Founding Partner of Shanghai based VC fund 23Seed. After completing his university degree in Australia, Daniel returned to China to found his own startup before founding 23Seed in 2013 in Shanghai Zhangjiang Tech Park. Investments have included 24Tidy which is a uber for laundry services and Olset, a traveltech company from 500 Startups Batch 7. 23Seed’s own data analysis platform has allowed Daniel and the team to spot trends early and has been the source of some of their most successful investments. Daniel is also a producer and investor in The Next Unicorn, China’s first reality TV show about global startup and innovation. In Episode 3, we interviewed 23Seed’s other partner and Paypal seed investor Peter Davison who shared his insights with us. Key points covered: 1. Background to 23seed 2. Allocation of funding: initial investment vs follow on investment in portfolio companies 3. Thinking process behind dilution vs taking up pro rata in subsequent rounds 4. Main difference between a Western entrepreneur and Chinese entrepreneur and the key characteristics of a Westerner entrepreneur who is doing well in China 5. What can Western investors doing better to have great successes in China 6. Portfolio exits in China: Risks and mitigants 7. How are Chinese investors moving money out of China Items mentioned: Example of Chinese and Western cofounder success: Chenchao Zhuang, Douglas Khoo and Fritz Demopoulos, Qunar Favourite book: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell Favourite company: Toutiao Twitter: (at)hutongv, (at)haymarkethq Hutong (Ad)Ventures is a podcast on how to succeed in China featuring top venture capital investors, founders and operators with real China experiences. Hutong (Ad)Ventures is part of Haymarket HQ. Hosted by Jemma Xu.
Peter Davison, who with no startup or venture capital experience, started a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley in 1998 and went onto have several successes including a seed investment in Paypal in which Peter was a key adviser to Peter Thiel on business and product strategy. Upon returning to Australia, Peter founded, built and sold several highly profitable internet businesses from his home. In 2011, Peter founded Fishburners in Australia, the largest coworking space in the Southern Hemisphere which now also has a presence in China in Shanghai. In 2014, Peter moved to China where he has been active in the Chinese startup and venture capital scene and is now a Partner at Shanghai based VC fund 23Seed. Key points covered: 1. What areas are you investing now in China and why? 2. You have invested mainly in Chinese companies focussed on the 3. Chinese domestic markets, not so much in cross border startups. Why? 4. Growth hacking vs quickly industrialising at scale: what are you seeing in China? 5. Is the current VC model working? 6. How should a new fund look attempt to max returns when investing in China? 7. What is your view on the topic of gender in Chinese startup scene? 8. Most English speaking founders still look to Silicon Valley, not Beijing or Shanghai. Is it a cultural bias? Items mentioned: Favourite book: Outlier by Malcolm Gladwell (also reading philosophy by Hegel) Favourite company: Hai Di Lao Hot Pot Favourite investor/entrepreneur: Zhu Min, founder of Webex and founder of Cybernaut Investment Group Twitter: (at)hutongv, (at)haymarkethq Hutong (Ad)Ventures is a podcast on how to succeed in China featuring top venture capital investors, founders and operators with real China experiences. Hutong (Ad)Ventures is part of Haymarket HQ. Hosted by Jemma Xu.
William Bao Bean is a General Partner at SOSV, a US$300m venture capital fund that invests in startups in its accelerators across the world. William is also the Managing Director of SOSV’s Chinaccelerator, China first startup accelerator based in Shanghai and MOX, SOSV’s mobile only accelerator platform SE Asia. Prior to joining SOSV, William was the Managing Director at SingTel Innov8, where he led investments in Yodo1 and Gmobi, among many others. Previously, William was a Partner at Softbank China & India Holdings. William began his career as an equity research analyst, most recently with Deutsche Bank, where he was responsible for Internet and Telecom Equipment across Asia and China technology, media and telecom. In 2005,he was ranked No.1 stock picker in Technology, Media and Telecom, and No.3 overall for Hong Kong/China. Key points covered: 0:00 William’s background and introduction to Chinaccelerator. 4:52: How has the investment thesis differed amongst Softbank China, Singtel and SOSV? 11:00 What are the differences between Chinese consumers and SE Asia consumers? 14:10 How to do social commerce in China? 16:50 Why does SOSV only invest in startups going through its accelerators? 17:40 Chinaccelerator invests in convertible notes. What are differences in convertible note terms between China and the West? 20:10 Have there been any issues working with local Chinese investors and how to resolve them? 25:40 What is a portfolio company that has succeeded and why? 30:24 What are examples of companies or sectors where things did not go well? 32:23 Chinese B2C startups prioritise market share. Is burning cash for market share a necessary first step? How has that changed recently? 36:46: As China market matures, how has SOSV’s investment thesis changed? 45:05: What is the one most absurd investment term William has come across? Items mentioned: SOSV’s China focussed China Accelerator SOSV’s South East Asia’s focussed MOX Accelerator Singtel Innov8 investment: GMobi China Accelerator portfolio company: OCheng China Accelerator portfolio company: The Fashory Favourite book: Lean Startup Favourite Chinese company: Tencent Other books recommended: Only The Paranoid Survive, Innovator’s Dilemma Favourite Chinese investor: Lei Jun (Entrepreneur and Investor), Founder of Xiaomi and Founding Partner Shunwei Capital Chinese phrases mentioned: Shanzhai 山寨: copycats / lookalikes Twitter: (at)hutongv, (at)haymarkethq Hutong (Ad)Ventures is a podcast on how to succeed in China featuring top venture capital investors, founders and operators with real China experiences. Hutong (Ad)Ventures is part of Haymarket HQ. Hosted by Jemma Xu.
David Gulasi is an Australian who has lived in China for nearly 10 years and has become one of China’s top 3 foreign online influencers with over 8 million Chinese followers across various Chinese social platforms. Whilst most foreigners prefer cities like Beijing or Shanghai, David is based in Hohhot in far north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region which borders Mongolia and a bit of Russia. As an online celebrity, David has worked with Chinese and foreign clients such as Volkswagen, Netease, Sony and Chinese dating app Momo just to name a few. David also runs his own successful education company New World Language School in Hohhot, preparing Chinese students for standardised English tests such as the IELTS and TOEFL. Key points covered: 1. How did David go from 58 online followers to 120,000 overnight, then to 8 million followers now? 2. What is the demographics of David’s followers? What content do they like? 3. What are the key characteristics of each social media platform? 4. How do consumers behave differently on each platform? 5. How does David leverage his online follower base for his education business? How does it compare to his competitors? 6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being based in Hohhot vs Tier 1 cities like Beijing and Shanghai? 7. What is the one tip for companies looking to entering China Items mentioned: Weibo: http://weibo.com/login.php Photos and video sharing: www.meipai.com/en Livestream: https://www.yizhibo.com/ David Gulasi’s Weibo account: weibo.com/n/DavidHohhot David’s favourite book: Sahara by Clive Cussler Chinese phrases mentioned: Laowai 老外: foreigner City name + hua 话: local dialect Baikashui 白开水: boiled water for drinking Meishi'er 没事儿 (and its various Inner Mongolian dialects): No problem; often used to imply 'can be fixed' or 'I've got it' mentality Twitter: (at)hutongv, (at)haymarkethq Hutong (Ad)Ventures is a podcast on how to succeed in China featuring top venture capital investors, founders and operators with real China experiences. Hutong (Ad)Ventures is part of Haymarket HQ. Hosted by Jemma Xu.
Nitai works at The Hutong, a cultural exchange center based in Beijing, China. We discussed the types of trips he runs through the Hutong, ranging from Great Wall excursions to bicycling around Yunnan province.
Tensions have been rising on the Korean peninsula. What are our options? My guest Jeremiah Jenne is a historian living in Beijing. He has been to North Korea multiple times, including just a few weeks ago (I have been there as well). Jeremiah laid out three potential military strategies for the US to intervene in North Korea; unfortunately, all of these options are various shades of terrible. He also talked about diplomatic strategies, which also are controversial and risky. Jeremiah has several other projects in Beijing. He runs a small company called Beijing by Foot, which gives walking tours of historical sites in Beijing. I went on one of these tours to the Summer Palace and thoroughly enjoyed it; highly recommended for anyone who wants a taste of old Peking. Jeremiah's blog is Jottings from the Granite Studio. This includes the writing he does for other publications, as well as his Podcast, “Barbarians at the Gate.”
My guest today is Moisés Santiago. We touched on a variety of topics, including being a teacher in China, spaying your cat (not for the faint of heart), staying calm in stressful situations, and the importance of maintaining possession of your passport while traveling abroad. It turns out that both of us have had the pleasure of losing our passport, though his experience had significantly worse consequences than mine. Moisés was an awesome guest and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.
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.
【特别感谢热心听友曹英哲 Mobey帮忙听写本篇文稿】Heyang:《老炮儿》 or called , this movie has garnered critical acclaim as well as box office success, but what’s put it in the spotlight at the moment is the wild usage of street slang that a Tsinghua professor deemed “foul”. Is this foul language or just staying truthful to what “胡同”vernacular is. 电影《老炮儿》上映后，票房和口碑一路飙升，但是也有不少人指出，该片粗口太多、语言暴力尺度太大。据不完全统计，该片粗口累积出现高达上百次。爆粗口是角色需要还是迎合低趣味？在电影中到底该不该出现这样的粗口呢？HeYang:So...tell me more about this huge debate about ”is this language too dirty and foul?”Luo Yu: Well,let’s first focus on the movie itself. “Mr. Six” or “老炮儿” in Chinese, is a 2015 film directed by Mr. GuanHu and stars FengXiaogang, XuQing, LiYifeng and Chris Wu, WuYifan, the film centers on a once famous streetwise Hoodlum named Mr. Six, played by FengXiaogang, who lives in a lonely existence in Beijing Hutong, behind a small convenient store that he owns, diagnosed with the heart disease, he still recalls about the good old days, the film is a modern tale of Mr. Six, and he lives in a world that is bound to be destroyed by modernity, the film portrays the battle between him and a much younger drag-racing street gang leader, played by Wu Yifan. However, the foul language in the movie has sparked heated discussion. It is estimated that dirty words occurred in the film for over a hundred times.And from my point of view, I think it has to be in this way. It is staying truthful for the Hutong vernacular that you have just mentioned.HY: Yes, well, basically we are working for a prestigious national radio station so there is no way that we are gonna repeat those foul language or words on this show. But to give you an example or just a feel of what it is, I went to watch it last night with my mom, there is a whole bunch of, how should I put it, “saying Hi to your mom” and “saying Hi to your 大爷”, so...I mean it in the most polite way alright? So that’s the level of dirtiness we are talking about, if translate it into English I think there’s a lot of S-words and F-words but that’s about it. What you guys think?Sam: I would say for a film like this, it’s important to remember that this is actually part of a bigger story. When we look at cinema, we are talking about the idea of censorship against idea of rating something. So Oh Guys I’ve gotta be 100% honest here. We both know I’m from the United Kingdom so I’m gonna have a very obvious opinion of what I personally believe is right which is gonna be the system I grew up in. So I’ve never been a huge fan of censorship and I think a lot of the foreigners that come to Beijing feel the same way. It’s usually expressing our detest for the internet usage here, not being able to use facebook youtube and twitter. And this is another example of where censorship is being used instead of ratings because what the film association is saying is either the film is ok, or it’s not, if it’s ok, anyone can consume it. And it’s not the only example that you see this in China, so if you look at the alcohol industry the tobacco industry I checked this with several of our colleagues to make sure I didn’t get my information wrong this morning, and apparently there was no age limit on anyone that can buy tobacco here.HY: There is an age limit in the law but it’s not that difficult to get a packet in a very strict way. Sam: I’m not overly experienced but from my experience of having visited the night life in Beijing, I understand the pubs and bars also don’t check for identification as they do in the United Kingdom, and you don’t have an age limits system in the cinema, I’ve never seen a film where the people at the cinema have said “how old are you? Sorry you are too young for this film.” HY: Because there’s no such a system.Sam: I’m always gonna be of the mindset that we should have guidelines and tell us who this product is intended for and people are given a freedom to decide if it’s appropriate for them or not. As opposed to someone telling us it’s ok or it’s not. I think people should have that choice and this guideline should exist. And I think it’s a great opportunity here this ， as a platform to highlight this issue that maybe we should start thinking about guidelines in China.LY: I think you know, definitely many people have been calling for such rating system for film to be existent in China, however we haven’t seen the emergence of such system yet, but looking further into the future, I think definitely there has to be a rating system. Because apart from the vulgar languages or foul languages those hooligans used in this movie, there are also erotic scenes, I mean, two people having sex including FengXiaogang and XuQing, and you know... HY: Which you say with great enthusiasm. Thank you.LY: Definitely, that’s always a part of me. (oh...Excuse me...) and also we’ve seen a lot of violent scenes as well, so if you don’t rate them and put them into different categories, how can you guarantee the sanctity of children, I mean when they watch those films, they will feel a little bit puzzled, bewildered, you know what’s going on they tend to ask their parents? And literally when I watched this move in the movie theater, I heard some children asking their parents about what’s happening. And it’s very ridiculous.Sam: Heyang, you went to watch this film with your mother!HY: Yeah but I’m a grown woman! And...06:26Sam: But when we were kids, that’s was like the worst thing. Luo Yu, you must be able to relate to this. ( LY: I watched the movie alone). Did you and your parents ever watch a film at home when you were young? And there was a slightly more mature scene there. It was the most awkward moment ever when you’re sitting there with my mom. HY: I used to just walk away when that happens... It’s like Oh...I’m thirsty, Oh bathroom break and it always coincides with that sensitive scene.Sam: You didn’t get that urge during 《老炮儿》？HY: No，because I’m a grown woman, and I have a very mature relationship with my mom. And when we saw that in the cinema yesterday, I honestly wanted to cover my eyes, because I don’t want to see the buttocks of (who)FengXiaogang, I really don’t...Aha... I wish somebody could have warned me of that. So yes...LY: But there’s no difference. Not much difference when it comes to buttocks, so even if it’s FengXiaogang’s, it makes no difference.
Hello and welcome to this edition of "In the Spotlight", a show featuring arts, culture and showbiz from right here in China. I'm your host Li Ningjing. The fourth Beijing International Film Festival has just concluded in Beijing. The Festival attracted film makers, distributors and film lovers from all over the world, including movie stars Jean Reno, Lea Seydoux and Adrien Brody as well as Chinese actresses Zhang Ziyi, Fan Bingbing and Liu Yifei. American director Oliver Stone, "Gravity" director Alfonso Cuaron and Hong Kong director John Woo also joined the forums at the festival to share their views on film making and the future of the global film industry. So in this special edition of In the Spotlight, we'll focus on the Beijing International Film Festival and take an in-depth look at the state of the Chinese movie industry, which seems to be showing causes of worry for industry insiders despite impressive box office gains. We'll also be speaking with Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron on his recent Oscar win and possible collaboration with China. On top of that, a restoration of a famous 1930s Chinese production, The Goddess also screened during the festival. These stories and more are all in the pipeline. Do stay with us. ******************************** Alfonso Cuaron is one of the most fascinating directors in the world, especially after his win at the Oscars this year for his film, Gravity. Now, he is sharing his wisdom with young filmmakers in China at the Beijing International Film Festival. Our reporter Doris Wang caught up with him to get a glimpse inside the mind of this creative genius. That was Doris Wang talking to Alfonso Cuaron about his Oscar win and the possibility of making a movie in China. ******************************** This is Alfonso Cuaron's second visit to Beijng. He was talkative when sharing his impressions of the mega city. "It's vast. It's huge. It's polluted. And also at the same time it's of a big energy. Also you can feel that it's a city of young people. You can see that. You can feel that in the street. Of course I've going around in the historical sites. They are absolutely amazing. What I really enjoyed is getting lost in Hutongs." Cuaron admitted that his mandarin was not amazing. He turned to body language when he was lost in the Hutong alleys and needed to ask for directions. But he added that he found familiarity between himself and the people he met in Beijing's Hutongs. "I have gestured to them. And they gestured back and talked to me. And maybe they laughed. But I found again it felt somehow familiar. The region. The experience. There is warm as well. That again it feels for me similar from where I come from. It's completely different cultures. But there's familiarity to me." for compelte script: http://english.cri.cn/7146/2014/04/22/3301s823313.htm
The Amateur Traveler talks to Joy Dupont about taking a guided tour to visit Beijing, China. Joy talks about the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Lama temple, the Temple of Heaven and the Hutong area of Beijing which still looks like old China. We talk about shopping at silk factories, cloisonné factories, jade factories and the world's largest herbal drugstore. We also talk about an area of Beijing like a Chinese Greenwich Village called "798". Regent China Tours is the tour company that Joy uses. From street food, unidentifiable food to the Bai Family Courtyard Restaurant, China is a treat for those willing to try new foods and willing to try chopsticks. Although KFC, McDonalds and Starbucks can be found we recommend the tea houses instead. Great sites, amazingly large crowds, ancient treasures and the rush of modern life. All of these are China.
Amateur Traveler Podcast (iTunes enhanced) | travel for the love of it
The Amateur Traveler talks to Joy Dupont about taking a guided tour to visit Beijing, China. Joy talks about the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Lama temple, the Temple of Heaven and the Hutong area of Beijing which still looks like old China. We talk about shopping at silk factories, cloisonné factories, jade factories and the world's largest herbal drugstore. We also talk about an area of Beijing like a Chinese Greenwich Village called "798". Regent China Tours is the tour company that Joy uses. From street food, unidentifiable food to the Bai Family Courtyard Restaurant, China is a treat for those willing to try new foods and willing to try chopsticks. Although KFC, McDonalds and Starbucks can be found we recommend the tea houses instead. Great sites, amazingly large crowds, ancient treasures and the rush of modern life. All of these are China.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Joy Dupont about taking a guided tour to visit Beijing, China. Joy talks about the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Lama temple, the Temple of Heaven and the Hutong area of Beijing which still looks like old China. We talk about shopping at silk factories, cloisonné factories, jade factories and the world's largest herbal drugstore. We also talk about an area of Beijing like a Chinese Greenwich Village called "798". Regent China Tours is the tour company that Joy uses. From street food, unidentifiable food to the Bai Family Courtyard Restaurant, China is a treat for those willing to try new foods and willing to try chopsticks. Although KFC, McDonalds and Starbucks can be found we recommend the tea houses instead. Great sites, amazingly large crowds, ancient treasures and the rush of modern life. All of these are China.
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