Trips - Xi'an 07

Tang Dynasty Show

Someone looked up my entry re Xi'an yesterday. So, I thought I might write a bit more about it:

 

It was 非常非常好! (really great!). Xi'an (previously called Chang'an) is an old capital city and so there are a lot of historical sites, the most famous being the terracotta warriors (quite amazing!). We were lucky enough to meet Mr Young, the 80 year old farmer who discovered this ancient tomb. He's quite a celebrity, but I can't help but feel sorry for him. It's his job to sign the books about the Terracotta Warriors. He's now a tourist attraction and I think sitting there all day signing books would be quite straining for him.

 

We also got to go to the factory making the terracotta warriors using the original method – it was really interesting & we got to take close up photos with the warriors. I couldn't take many good pictures of the "real" terracotta warriors themselves because the hall was way too dark.

 

Xi'an is also the only city with its ancient city walls still intact. During the trip, we can actually go up and walk on top of the wall. Great views of the old city. There's also a very nice (and expensive) souvenir shop on top of the wall near the gate. If you go up to the top floor, you can buy original calligraphies from a famous calligrapher. If he is there you can ask him to "write" something for you – it will make a great gift! We are also able to walk or rent bicycles (probably the best way) on top of the city wall.

 

Being a Buddhist, I would say my favourite place was the "Forest of Stone Steles Museum". This is where translations (engraved in stones) of Buddhist texts and various historical records, important writings, and poetry, are kept. It's quite awesome being amongst these stone steles, especially seeing that there were some that were engraved (if I remember correctly, in the year AD480 (something like that!). It was also fun to see how many characters (not many!) I could recognise on those stone steles! To enhance the experience, ask the guide to translate one of the poems.

 

I thought the food in Xi'an was quite good too (compared to Inner Mongolia!). The dumpling banquet was fantastic, and the Tang Dynasty Show (optional – have to pay extra) was fantastic.

 

All in all, I had a great time and made some new friends. The trip was well organised and the tour guide in Xi'an was great. He was quite knowledgeable and during the trip he spoke both English and Chinese. 

Tips - Getting the most out of your time in China (learning mandarin-wise)

Being in China is the best opportunity we have to learn or improve our Mandarin skills. We are surrounded by Chinese language and culture, however, I've found, especially at BLCU where there are so many foreigners and English speaking people (which are some of the attractions I have for this uni), it's easy to fall back and just speak mostly English. Of course, it's a lot of fun, but our mandarin won't improve a whole lot.

 

Here are some tips – not in any particular order, just what comes to mind first.

 

1. Practice, practice, practice – Try to speak as much as possible. Some people even have language pledges and will only speak mandarin during their time in China. This will be very hard for beginners, but try to speak as much as possible. Make some Chinese friends, get language partners, or get a tutor (they are not expensive – usually around RMB 30 per hour). Chat to vendors, fuwuyuans in restaurants and pubs, or even those annoying post card sellers at tourist sites – they love to chat to foreigners. Don't just hang around people who can speak your own language – the temptation is too high! You can also make Korean, Japanese, or people from any other country who doesn't speak your language. Last year I had an Italian friend who doesn't speak English, so I am forced to speak only Mandarin with her – my Chinese improved a lot. Just keep in mind though they are also learning and may not necessarily be saying things correctly themselves, and their tones, etc may also be wrong.

2. Ask Chinese people for help – I've found the Chinese really friendly (even if they sometimes initially look grumpy) and happy to help if you ask them how to call this thing or how to say something. They are sometimes not willing to correct you, so tell them to tell you if you say something incorrectly.

3. Master the basics – pinyin and tones! – Yes, I know it's very boring and difficult – our class spent a week or so on it when we first started - but it's really important to get the tones right. Even Chinese children learn pinyin at school. Once you master pinyin and tones, you'll be able to pronounce words (even the ones you don't know) correctly and people will know what you're talking about! Furthermore, you can SMS your Chinese friends in pinyin and they are likely to understand.

4. Listen a lot – My listening teacher told me that it's important to listen to Chinese as much as possible, and not to worry if you don't understand. She gave an example of young infants – they listen first then they learn to speak. I think by listening a lot you can also pick up sentence structures (if you hear it often enough, it will sink in!) and the tones, making it easier for you to pronounce words correctly. Good excuse to watch lots of movies…and, don't skip the listening classes!  : )

5. What was that word again? – Always carry a notebook with you and write down new words or phrases. I always think I can remember them when I repeat the words a couple of times, but I never do. If it's written down, at least we can refer to them later.

6. Bring your student cards when you visit tourist sites – you'll be able to get a discount – usually half price.

7. Get a phrasebook- It'll help when you need to get around or do something and you don't know how to say it in Chinese.

8. You get out what you put in – yes, unfortunately, the only way to get the most out of your time is to make the effort.

9. Keep at it and don't give up – It gets frustrating when you spend a long time studying certain characters only to forget them the next day. Keep going – it gets easier as you go along.

All this sounds quite serious, but the good thing is, you can do all this while having fun! In fact, I think "Having fun" is the most important point of all! 

 

 

 

 

Placement test, again.

The first thing, after enrollment, etc to put us in the right class
for our Chinese lessons is to have a placement test. This year's test
format is slightly different from last time. This might be because
I'm now doing the "normal" classes rather than the intensive class.

The placement test this time involves the teacher giving out a page
of Chinese words and we have to write pinyin for them - which made me
glad that I actually revised a bit yesterday before the test, and
also made me realise how much I have forgotten! We then have a chat
with the teacher who asks (in Chinese) how long we have been studying
mandarin, etc.

It's not the end of the world though, we can still change classes if
we find it too hard or easy.

Tomorrow is the Gong Fu Performance - no, I'm not performing! It's a
school excursion. I actually have been last year, but it's a good
chance to meet new people so will go again.

Cold weather in China

With all the reports of wild, unseasonal snowstorms  causing chaos in the south of China got me worried. What about Beijing? According to the BBC weather forecast, temperatures in Beijing this week ranges from around -8 degrees to 5 degrees - Brrr!  still very cold, a bit cooler than when I left in December last year. 

The buildings in Beijing are pretty much well heated, and as long as we don't have to spend too much time outdoors, it should be OK!