Shanghai China Snippets Observations about living in Shanghai and China in general

October 11, 2005

Learn Chinese Podcast | Teach Yourself

Filed under: Chinese Language — Shanghai @ 5:02 am

I contemplated some time ago to start a “[tag]Learn Chinese[/tag]” podcast. Basically as this would force me to actually study harder myself.

Well, my idea never materialized, at least not by me. Too busy doing unimportant things I guess:)

Yesterday I visited Chinesepod and these guys, actually a woman and a man to be exact, have done a great job. Already 17 many podcasts available so whoever wants to jump in the Learn Chinese hype, this is the moment.

I am very curious how they will evolve as after the basics it will get harder to create good intermediary casts. They are on their way though.

I downloaded all 17 lessons and if you see a laowai with a headphone walking in [tag]Shanghai[/tag] shouting out [tag]Chinese[/tag] words to nobody in particular it might be me.

You can find the podcasts here

Update:

I signed up for a free account to check out their premium features. As mentioned before the podcasts themselves are nice. I have listened to 20 of them by now and I really like the format of short, focused lessons. Compared to the [tag]Pimsleur[/tag] learn Chinese tapes, especially the fact that each lesson is only about 10 minutes is very useful.

The premium features are a bit disappointing though. Besides being able to download all the previous lessons there is something called “The learning centre”.

It consists of a word bank and a glossary. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. The glossary can be used to search for a word after which you can add it to your own word bank. This step you have to repeat for each addition. First the glossary, then add, you see your word bank and you have to click the glossary again to add more words. Too many clicks involved and too slow.

I actually expected a lot more of the premium features, also more innovative tools to learn Chinese. Hopefully they will be added later on but right now it is too thin to convince me to pay for it.

Update 2

Chinesepod reacted and I had yet another look at their website. Suddenly I noticed that each Blog/podcast post has two links on top of it where premium members can get access to the transcript of the lesson as well as some related exercises.

Even more, while I was adding one word at a time in the word bank I just now found out I can go the specific blog post, click transcript and then at the bottom add all the words of the lesson to the word bank. I guess it’s a matter of having a clearer user interface, adding this features to the Learning Center and the whole thing is a lot easier to handle.

I have to adjust a bit my opinion though. The overlooked features are not bad at all, especially for beginners. I would suggest getting a free account, try whether the premium features are useful for you and after that decide about payment.

Start with a one month subscription though, I would suggest. During that month, keep track how much time you are actually spending on learning Chinese. You wouldn’t be the first one starting enthusiastically and loosing interest after a while.

Chinesepod told me they are working on a new version of the website so once it’s there I’ll review it again.

Hopefully the [tag]Learning[/tag] Center will be extended with some new innovative tools.

October 9, 2005

Kunming | Overview of the Best Places

Filed under: China Travel — Shanghai @ 7:30 am

Back now in Shanghai for a couple of days but still intended to give an overview of the best places in Kunming concerning Food & Drinks and Miscll. It’s vey subjective (some info based on the experiences of Kunming long stayers ) so feel free to contact me if you disagree:)
All locations are inbetween the Green lake park and Yunnan University (Yunda)

Kunming | Western Food

Salvador’s Coffee House

    The best coffee & great bagels. Also the most expensive in it’s range but when you live in Shanghai everything is cheap here.

    Address: Wen Lin Jie, #76 Wen Hua Xiang

Chapter One

    If you intend to get drunk early this is the best place to start. From 09:30 till 18:30 you pay 5 kuai for a Gin Tonic. Great hamburgers although breakfast is not that tempting I have been told. Hanburgers will do just fine though. Their wireless internet is very convenient and they have the biggest collection of books youo can rent, buy or swap.

    Address: ＃149 Wen Lin Jie

(more…)

Chinese Spit

Filed under: China Culture — Shanghai @ 6:14 am

Just a short inbetween. I know Chinese spit. It’s a medical thing according to them. Spit, once created by the “AHHRGGGGGG” scraping has only one way to go..OUT.

I also noticed that in general the amount of spitters decreased and honestly I don’t care so much if people spit as long as they do it in a kind of concealed way without bothering anyone else.

Why this short inbetween which has been written about over and over again on any blog and website related to China.

Because I just took the elevator in my building, together with a well-dressed young guy, someone who couldn’t resist the urge of spitting, just there, just then, just on the floor of the lift.

There are moments I see progress, there are many more moments I see reality.

October 5, 2005

A Day in a Life | Kunming

Filed under: China Travel — Shanghai @ 3:51 am

One more day to go in Kunming. The city I started my life in China and which I left last year.
I’m typing on a keyboard that’ s so sticky most letters have to be re-typed but it works.

Has Kunming changed since last year. No, not at all. Everything is still happening in the very laid back way it used to be. Waitresses are slow, beer is most of the time warm, and all foreigner bars have signs in the toilet telling me “No pooping/shitting or you get a 50 Rmb penalty”.

In my old apartment the fridge stopped working so we cooled the beers by hanging them in a plastic bag in the squat toilet and flush them constantly. It works and it even survived the peeing of the 10-year old son of one of my friends.

Kunming is also the place where I learned to schedule my own loo-time. Everything to avoid the public toilets where pooping is allowed.

The sun shines but because it’s 2000 meters above sea level it’s nice and not hot. I drink a coffee on one of the many terraces and will have some great Spanish food tonight.

I’ll miss Kunming but I will be happy to get back to the speed of Shanghai.

September 30, 2005

Kunming | Escaping Shanghai for a Bit

Filed under: China Travel — Shanghai @ 10:42 am

One week away from bloody hot, sweaty Shanghai. One week in good old Kunming where coffee is 5 kuai, food is 1/3 the price and shoe shiners are everywhere.

Wish you all a Happy Golden Week and don’t forget to spend, spend, spend..

September 29, 2005

Chinese Internet Slang | Last Chance

Filed under: Chinese Multi Media — Shanghai @ 3:18 am

The Shanghai government is not very amused with all those new, modern words, mostly abbreviations, that have become part of the online vocabulary of young urban Chinese.

The government plans to “forbid the use of a series of new words and abbreviations made popular on the Internet, from both the schools and official documents,” according to an official statement from Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress.

Terms such as “MM” which refers to “beautiful woman”, and “PK” which means “player kill”, and “Konglong”(dinosaur), which means “ugly girl” are in common usage. These colloquialisms are alleged to infringe the purity of the Chinese language, and therefore should be limited in use, the government says.

In case you like to improve your online Chinese. Here are some words that will keep you communicating, for as long as it is allowed of course.

  • “BT” (short for “Bian Tai”) means abnormal
  • “Qingwa” (frog) ugly boy
  • “GG” (short for “gege”) older brother
  • “JJ” (short for “jiejie”) older sister
  • “FT” (short for “faint”) faint
  • “GF” (short for “girl friend”) girl friend
  • “BF” (short for “boy friend”) boy friend
  • “Kao” expletive
  • “PF” (short for “pei fu”) admire
  • “PP” beautiful
  • “PLMM” beautiful girl
  • “TMD” (short for “ta ma de”) expletive his mother
  • “SB” (short for “Sha bi”) expletive
  • “SF” (short for “xi huan”) to like
  • “88” (pronunciation similar to “bye bye”) bye bye
  • “3Q” (pronunciation similar to “thank you”) thank you
  • “94” (short for “jiu shi”) that is
  • “42” yes
  • “PMP” (short for “pai ma pi”) to- bootlick

Source: Interfax China – Shanghai to ban the use of Internet slang …..

Update, some new Chinese Internet Slang

  • “520” I love you
  • “NB” (short for niúbī) Bull’s dick- Somebody/something is super great
  • “5555” (Short for wǔwǔwǔwǔ) Sound of crying

September 25, 2005

The Real Beggar | A Shanghai Guide

Filed under: Shanghai Life — Shanghai @ 11:01 pm

Shanghai has apparently published an illustrated guide, called “Recognizing Phonies” to help the citizens and visitors to distinguish real beggars from frauds. Although I have no idea whether it’s available in English it will be a sad read indeed.

“Amid the great army of city vagrants, there is a cadre of professional beggars who prey on the sympathies of citizens.” “There isn’t a trick they won’t try.” according to the manual

“We don’t want to discourage people from helping beggars,” said an official with the Civil Affairs Bureau, … “We just want to make sure they don’t get tricked and end up helping a cheat.”

It reminds me of when I was walking on Nanjing Xi Lu with a cousin of my girlfriend. The boy is 10 and saw me giving a kuai to an old woman sitting on the sidewalk. “Those people are bad, don’t give them anything”, was his reaction.

This sums pretty much up the average view of the Chinese towards beggars and from early on they have been told this “wisdom”.

I am sure there will be gangs, frauds etc but a big part of them just don’t have anything, let alone any chance to work. Some kuais for them means food, some kuais for me means not even a cup of coffee.

source: Shanghai Publishes Guide to Spot Beggars

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