Travel in Chinese Lesson 98 Restaurant in Guilin

阳朔(二)

当地人：怎么样？这家没有饭馆的饭菜味道不错吧。

Michael：不错，特别是“啤酒鱼”这道菜，极其好吃。

人豪：对，没想到在加入啤酒以后，会让鱼变得这么好吃，我回去以后一定告诉我太太。

Michael：对对，刚才饭店里的放的音乐也特别好听。歌词的意思虽然我不能完全听懂，但也觉得很有意思。

当地人：哦，那是刘三姐唱的歌。

Michael：刘三姐？她是一个歌星吗？

当地人：哈哈，她是我们壮族里有名的歌星。据说她唱的歌特别好听，很多人都喜欢她。

Michael：是吗？那我可以和她照张相吗？

当地人：哈哈，那可不行， 连我都不曾见过她，她生活的时代已经和现在隔得很远了。

Michael：啊，是这样啊。

当地人：不过，离这儿不远，有一棵大榕树，听说刘三姐以前经常站在树下唱歌，明天我带你们去看看？

人豪：好啊，说不定我们还可以找到一个现代版的“刘三姐”呢。

人豪：好一个“阳朔山水甲桂林”，看来真是名不虚传！

Michael：哇，这里真漂亮。你说的就是这儿吗？

当地人：对，据说这棵树有1400多年的历史呢。

人豪：是吗？真不简单，一棵树能活那么长时间！你们来看，这里的枝条长得就和秋千一样。

Michael：可惜这里没有人唱歌。

当地人：哈哈，没关系，今天晚上我带你们去看一个特别的演出。它是以阳朔的山水为舞台，到时候会有很多人一起唱歌的。

人豪：我听说过，好像是张艺谋专门为阳朔而设计的。

Michael：张艺谋？太好了，那我们一定不能错过。在哪儿演出？

当地人：别急啊，演出要天黑以后才开始呢。
 

Translation:

Local: How was it？The food at this restaurant was pretty good, huh?

Michael：Pretty good. Especially the “beer fish”, it was so delicious.

Renhao：That’s right, I would never have thought beer would enhance the flavour of the fish so much. I have to tell my wife when I get back.

Michael：The music they played in the restaurant was really good too. Even though I couldn’t fully understand the lyrics, it was still very interesting.

Local: Oh. They’re songs by Liu Sanjie.

Michael：Liu Sanjie? Is she a pop star？

Local: Haha, she is a well-known song stress of our Zhuang ethnic group. Her singing was so popular, and everyone loved her songs.

Michael：Really？Would I be able to get a photo taken with her？

Local: Haha, I don’t think so. Even I have never seen her. She lived in a much earlier time.

Michael：Oh right.

Local: But not far from here is a large ficus tree, which they say Liu Sanjie used to sing under. How about I take you to have a look？

Renhao：Sure. Maybe we could find a modern version of “Liu Sanjie”.

Renhao：No wonder they say “Yangshuo’s scenery is even better than that of Guilin’s. It’s no exaggeration！

Michael：Wow, it’s so beautiful here. Is this what you were talking about？

Local: Yes. Apparently this tree has more than 1400 years of history.

Renhao：Really？That’s incredible that a tree could live that long！Look here, the branches are like swings.

Michael：It’s a pity there’s nobody singing here tonight.

Local: Haha, that’s alright. I’m taking you to a special performance tonight. It’s set against the backdro of Yangshuo’s scenery. There’ll be lots of people singing together.

Renhao：I’ve heard of it before. I think Zhang Yimou created it especially for Yangshuo.

Michael：Zhang Yimou？That’s great, we can’t miss it. wher is the performance？

Local: Don’t panic. The performance doesn’t start until it gets dark.
 

Bookmarks

1、极其 extremely

（例）他办事极其认真。

He handles tasks extremely diligently

（例）这里卖的水果极其新鲜。

The fruits sold here are extremely fresh.

2、不曾 never

（例）他对我的帮助我一直都不曾忘记。

I've never forgotten how he helped me.

（例）这个梦想我始终都不曾放弃。

I've never abandoned this dream.

Sign Posts

The Tall Banyan Tree

The Tall Banyan Tree大榕树, located a few km south of Yangshuo, is one of the main scenic attractions of Yangshuo county. It is said that the banyan was planted in the Jin Dynasty, which would date it to the third or fourth century AD. The tree is famous for its age and towering beauty. The banyan tree now stands 17 meters high, and is over 7 meters thick around the trunk. Its canopy covers an area of 1000 square meters. When we look closely we see that it has beautifully twisted roots and gnarled branches. Its crown is round with an exuberant growth of branches and leaves. There is a huge branch stretching out straight beginning at 1 meter above the ground. Enduring wind and rain for thousands of years, it is perhaps surprising that this branch has not been harmed.

The Tall Banyan is on the west bank of the Jinbao River and can be reached by an ancient ferry that crosses under the tree. Across the river, there are intriguing rocks of varying sizes, mountains and wonderful caves. Surrounding the mountain peaks are green bamboo forests and footpaths crisscrossing like between lush fields. So this area is famous not only for the old banyan tree, but for the striking scenery all around.

But there is one more important reason why this place is so well known. It was the location wher one of the most popular classic movies in modern China, 刘三姐, was filmed. It was under this tree that the main character, Third Sister Liu threw her coloured silk ball to Brother Aniu as a token of her affection. I guess you have to see the movie to appreciate why that is such an important scene. But suffice it to say that lovers to this day enjoy having their picture taken in front of the old banyan tree.

One kilometer to the south of the Big Banyan Tree, lies the Moon Hill. This is a huge slice of rock with a round hole in its center. You mount 800 steps of a marble-paved mountain path to reach the top. At various angles the hill resembles a new moon to a full moon, which accounts for the name Moon Hill.

With 14 rock-climbing routes on the northwest side, Moon Hill offers various levels of challenge to both amateur and professional climbers. This area is currently being developed for more adventure tourism.

It’s amazing how many visitors come to Yangshuo but don’t stay here long enough to really see the town and the surrounding sites. This area is definitely worth a few days exploring.

Substitution and Extension

说不定 perhaps, it may be

（例）还是带着雨伞吧，说不定一会儿就会下雨。

You'd better take an umbrella. Nobody can say for sure whether or not it'll rain in a short while.