Travel in Chinese Lesson 63 Shanghai 1

（雪梅和同事去外滩游览）

同事：雪梅，这是你第一次到上海出差吧。

雪梅：是啊，早就听说上海是东方的小“巴黎”，现在看来，真是名不虚传啊。

同事：呦，我发现你的汉语越说越地道啦！

雪梅：（笑）过奖，过奖。哎，你看这里的房子真漂亮！不像是中国的建筑。

同事：这就是外滩公园，这些房子可有些年头了。

雪梅：看起来这也是一个浪漫的地方。

同事：晚上更浪漫，到处都是谈恋爱的人。

雪梅：大早晨的，没想到这儿的人还挺多。

同事：这儿什么时候人都挺多的，即使是冬天，人也不少。

雪梅：那是电视塔吧？上海的电视塔叫什么名字来着？

同事：东方明珠电视塔。有人说它就像黄浦江上的一颗明珠。

男：（对雪梅和同事）能帮我照张像吗？

同事：（对雪梅）你来吧，你的照相技术比我好。

男：谢谢！你是外国人吧，从哪里来的？

雪梅：美国，你是上海人吗？

男：怎么说呢？也是也不是，我出生在上海，后来去了外地，十多年没回上海了，现在是回老家看看。

雪梅：上海变化大吗？

男：变得太厉害了，哪儿是哪儿我都找不着了。

（男指对面）

男：你看我原来就住在那边儿，那时候什么都没有，清一色的平房，从外滩看过去就是一个码头。

同事：那里现在是浦东吧？

男人：对啊，要是我啊，就一定去那里看看。我昨天去的时候，都找不到我过去住的地方了。

同事：有时间的话，我们一定去。

男：再见！同事/雪梅：再见！

雪梅：我们现在就去浦东吧。

同事：我们先去吃点儿东西，我有点儿饿了，咱们去尝尝上海的小吃怎么样？

雪梅；那我们什么时候去浦东呢？

同事：瞧你急的，吃完再说，一定陪你去还不行吗？（两人笑着离开）
 

Translation:

（Xuemei and colleague tour the Bund）

Colleague: Xuemei, is this your first trip to Shanghai?

Xuemei: Yes, I heard a long time ago that Shanghai was “Paris of the Orient”, and it looks like that reputation is well deserved.

Colleague: Wow, your Mandarin is getting better by the day!

Xuemei: （laughs）You’re too kind. Hey, these houses are really pretty! Hey, look how beautiful these buildings are！They don’t look like Chinese buildings.

Colleague: This is the Bund. These buildings have been around for quite some time.

Xuemei: Looks like it’s a romantic place.

Colleague: It’s even more romantic at night. There are lovers everywher.

Xuemei: It’s so early in morning. I didn’t expect there’d be so many people here.

Colleague: This place is always crowded. Even in winter, there are still lots of people.

Xuemei: Is that the TV tower？What’s the name of the Shanghai TV tower again？

Colleague: The Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Some people say it’s like a bright pearl on the Huangpu river.

Man: （to Xuemei and colleague）Can you take a photo for me？

Colleague: （to Xuemei）You do it, you’re a better at photographer than I am.

Man: Thank you！You must be a foreigner, wher are you from？

Xuemei: The US. Are you a native of Shanghai？

Man: Well how do I answer？Yes and no. I was born in Shanghai, then I left the city and haven’t been back for more than ten years. I’m here for a home visit.

Xuemei: Has Shanghai changed a lot？

Man: It’s changed so drastically, I can’t even find my way anymore.

（Man points to the other side）

Man: Look, I used to live on that side. Back then there was nothing, just one storey buildings. From the Bund it was just a wharf.

Colleague: That’s Pudong now, right？

Man: Yes. If I were you, I’ d make a visit there. When I went there yesterday, I couldn’t even find wher I used to live.

Colleague: We’ll definitely go if we have time.

Man: Bye！Colleague/Xuemei: Bye！

Xuemei: Let’s go to Pudong now.

Colleague: Let’s get something to eat first. I’m a bit hungry.How about we try some Shanghai snacks？

Xuemei: Then when are we going to go to Pudong？

Colleague: You’re so eager! Let’s eat first. I promise I’ll go with you, OK？（the two leave laughing）
 

Bookmarks

1)到处 everywher

例）春城昆明到处开满鲜花。

Fresh flowers are blooming everywher in Kunming, the City of Spring.

例）我们没买东西，只是到处转了转。

We didn't buy anything. We just walked around here and there.

2）没想到 didn't expect

例）真没想到在这儿碰到了老同学。

I never expected that I would run into an old classmate here.

例） 没想到天安门广场这么大。

I never expected that Tian’anmen Square would be this big.

3）清一色 all the same

例）这个酒店的服务员穿着清一色的中式服装。

The staff in this hotel are all uniformly dressed in the same Chinese style clothing.

例）来这儿的人，清一色的全是孩子。

The people who come here are all children.

Sign Posts

Shanghai city 1

When people think of Shanghai, they often picture the Bund with its international style architecture, or modern Pudong with its skyscrapers. But one area of Shanghai is best know for narrow streets and alleys, traditional Chinese stores and restaurants selling delicious, steamed dumplings. This is the original Shanghai, the old city. It's located to the west of the Bund and Huangpu River and south of Nanjing Road. As this area predates the foreign concessions like the Bund area, it was sometimes called Chinatown, which is a rather strange term for a city in China. But before 1949, when Shanghai was inhabited and dominated by many foreign businesses and companies this is wher most Chinese lived who were not employed as live-in help by wealthy foreigners. Chinese law was observed in this area of Shanghai.

Prior to 1911, this Old Town was a walled city inhabited mainly by fishermen. Later, the walls of the city were torn down to allow freerer movement and easier trade. The center of this area then, as now, was the Yu Garden and the Huxingting Tea House. Both are still central attractions when visiting this area today.

In recent years redevelopment has seen the construction of newer buildings in this area, but a great effort is made to preserve the original Chinese style of the streets and alleyways. Exploring though these narrow alleyways and back streets, you can still find pockets of the old Shanghai. It's not easy to get lost in here, though, as every lane inside leads back to the the tea house or the Yu Garden area.

Located next to the Yu Garden is the City God Temple 城隍庙. This was built in the fifteenth century， during the Ming Dynasty. Today the temple is a busy market area, specializing in traditional arts and crafts.

Over a hundred years ago, as more and more pilgrims came to worship in the temple, many peddlers began to open shops nearby. Slowly, an old fashioned market area gradually grew and prospered here. Today, in the relatively small area around the temple there are more than a hundred small shops and restaurants. It is not only an ideal shopping place for Shanghai residents---they can find things unobtainable elsewher and they dine at their favorite restaurants, but also an ‘Must’ for tourists and a great place to get a feeling for the Old Shanghai.

Substitution and Extension

1) 要是（如果）…, 就… if this, then that

例)你要是不来，我就去找你。

If you don’t come, I’ll go and look for you.

例)要是天气好，我们就去爬山。

If the weather is good, we’ll go climb the mountain.