Travel in Chinese Lesson 28 Houhai Bar

雪梅：小李, 那是什么桥？

同事：你说得是远处的那座桥吧。

同事：哦，那是银锭桥。

雪梅：“银锭桥”，这是很有名的桥吧，名字很熟。

同事：当然了，这桥还是北京一景儿呢。它是前海和后海的分界线。

雪梅：后海就是什刹海吧？

同事：对。你看这个饭馆，这是北京有名的烤肉馆，下次我请你尝尝这儿的烤肉。

雪梅：好啊！这是不是居民区？

同事：对，这里的胡同和民居保留了过去的样子，总有人来这参观呢。

雪梅：这里的酒吧也是住在这里的人开的吗？

同事：只有几家是，大部分都不是。

雪梅：我发现后海的气氛很独特，生活气息很浓。

同事：其实后海一带以前以四合院闻名，酒吧都是近几年才兴起的。

雪梅：这里自然风景好，又有浓厚的文化气息，是个开酒吧的好地方。

同事：这里的酒吧，文化味儿都比较足。

雪梅：那我们快找一家进去看看吧。

同事：这家吧。这家装潢很特别，还有二楼，可以在上边看风景。

雪梅：行，听你的。

（在酒吧里）

（进门）

同事：雪梅你看，这里的装饰既古老又现代，很有自己的风格。

雪梅：嗯，酒吧的主人一定特别有品味。

同事：没错，听说是搞艺术的。

雪梅：怪不得呢！

（吧台）

同事：咱们先买酒，一会儿上去喝。雪梅，你要什么酒？

雪梅：你呢，想喝点儿什么？

同事：我要一杯啤酒吧。

雪梅：那我和你一样，也来一杯啤酒。

同事：（对服务员）两杯啤酒，麻烦您给送到楼上去。

（二楼）

雪梅：这儿真不错，让人心情舒畅，感觉好极了！

同事：嗯，的确是个休闲的好地方。

雪梅：我觉得这里的夏天特别美。

同事：冬天也不错啊！水面结成了冰，一片银白。

雪梅：是吗，那应该另有一番景色。

同事：没错，我们冬天一定再来一次。

雪梅：好，好，我还打算到这儿采访呢。

同事：哎，这个创意不错，别忘了这里还有我的功劳呢！
 

Translation

Xue Mei: What’s the name of that bridge?

Colleague: That’s “Yin Ding Bridge”.

Xue Mei: “Yin Ding Bridge”. This must be a famous bridge. The name rings a bell.

Colleague: Of course. This bridge is part of the scenery in Beijing. It is also the boundary between Qianhai and Houhai.

Xue Mei: Houhai is also called Shishahai, right?

Colleague: Yes. See the restaurant! This is one of Beijing’s most famous barbeque restaurants. You should come here when you get a chance.

Xue Mei: Is this a residential area?

Colleague: Yes. They’ve kept the hutongs and residences here just like in the old days. Some people come here just to see them.

Xue Mei: Are the bars here run by the local residents as well?

Colleague: Some of them are run by the residents, but most of them are not.

Xue Mei: Houhai has a very special ambience. It has a strong feeling of real life.

Colleague: In fact the area of Houhai was famous for its Siheyuan before. The bars at Houhai have only sprung up and become popular in the past couple of years.

Xue Mei: The natural scenery is beautiful, plus there’s a strong cultural ambience. It’s really a great place for the bar business.

Colleague: The bars here all have a cultural ambience.

Xue Mei: Let’s find one and go in.

Colleague: How about this one? The furnishings are very special，and you can enjoy the view from upstairs.

Xue Mei: You decide.

Xue Mei: It’s very quiet here.

Colleague: We can order drinks first and have them upstairs.

Xue Mei: Sure! The bar owners have good taste.

Colleague: I hear they’re artists.

Xue Mei: No wonder.

Colleague: What would you like to drink?

Xue Mei: What would you like?

Colleague: I’d like a bottled beer.

Xue Mei: I’ll have the same as you, a bottle of beer.

Colleague: Would you please take them upstairs?

Xue Mei: This is really nice and very relaxing. I feel great.

Colleague: It’s a great place to relax.

Xue Mei: It’s traditional but also modern. When your uncle gets home I’ll definitely bring him here.

Colleague: It’s very pretty, especially in summer.

Xue Mei: I think winter must be beautiful, too! The lake frozen over，all silvery white.

Colleague: I haven’t been here in winter. It should be nice, too.

Xue Mei: I plan to come here for an interview.

Colleague: That’s a good idea. Don’t forget to give me credit for bringing you here！
 

Bookmarks

1）怪不得 no wonder

（例）怪不得昨天他没去长城，原来他病了。

No wonder he didn't go to the Great Wall yesterday; he was sick after all.

（例）粥里放了糖，怪不得这么甜呢。

They put sugar in the porridge; no wonder it's so sweet.

2）倒 indicate something unexpected

（例）我倒是很想跟你一起去，就是没有时间。

I would really like to go with you. It's just that I don't have the time.

（例）这双鞋价钱倒是不贵，就是颜色不太好。

This pair of shoes really isn't expensive. It's just that the colour is not very nice.

Sign Posts

Houhai

To see the small alleyways of old Beijing you should take one of the 胡同 tours. Nowadays, the best way to see the 胡同 is to take a bicycle or pedicab tour in the Houhai area. These tours are often advertised in hotels and tourist magazines.

Some of the best preserved 胡同 are around the Houhai area. This is an area north of the old Forbidden City, and was home to nobility and high officials in imperial China. Around Houhai are long, thin lakes, almost like canals. These are largely man-made.

Many parts of old Beijing have been redeveloped with wide avenues and modern architecture, but some traditional neighbourhoods like Houhai are now being protected. One of the nicest things about these old areas is that 生活气息很浓 they have a very down-to-earth feeling of being lived in, they are in a sense “homey”.

Almost hidden in this area you will find 钟楼 the Bell Tower and 鼓楼 the Drum Tower. In imperial times, these were used to mark the time and to call officials to important meetings. Your hutong tour may also take you to Prince Gong's Palace. This was the home of the father of the last emperor. (The father was related to the royal family, but did not serve himself as emperor.) This is probably the best preserved courtyard house 四合院 in Beijing, and is worth seeing.

Substitution and Extension

1）既…又…both this, and that

（例）中国菜，既好吃又便宜。

Chinese food is not only tasty; it's also inexpensive.