ZhangJiaJie trip with Sophie Kim

Yellow Mountain, 黄山, in AnHui province, between ShangHai and WuHan, is one of China's most popular travel destinations. An area of outstanding natural beauty, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

PinYin - English : pronunciation. ~ is used where there are two sounds in one syllable. Ou[ch] means use the first sound of the word 'ouch'; same sound as ow[l]. *** Greetings Nǐ Hǎo - Hello / Hi (literally, you good?) : nee how Zài Jiàn - Goodbye / bye : z~eye jee~ann HuānYíng (GuāngLín) - Welcome ! (You'll often hear this when enter a restaurant) DaJia Hao ! - Hello everybody ! *** Introductions Nǐ - you / your : nee Wǒ - I / my : woh What is your name? - Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì? : Nee j~ou[ch] shen mer ming zuh? My name is ... - Wǒ de míngzì shì ... : Woh der ming zuh sh ... *** XièXiè - : Thanks : shee~air shee~air (second is a little softer/quieter) XièXiè Nǐ ! - Thank you! : shee~air shee~air nee! *** DuìBuQǐ - Excuse me / sorry : der boo chee BúKèQì - No problem / you're welcome : boo ker chee Mei guan xi - No problem / you're welcome : may goo~ann shee Qǐng - Please : ching Mei / MeiHǎo - Beautiful : may / may how *** Interations DuWei - That's right : doo~way (quickly, and often said twice) Yes and no have no direct translations in Chinese, but the following will be fine is answer to common questions, although they are more like 'to be' and 'not to be' if translated literally; however, these are real colloquial uses. Bú shì - no : boo shh Bú shì can also be used in reply to 'Thank you !' with the meaning 'you're welcome' / 'no need to say' / 'it's nothing' Shì de - yes : shh der E.g. LàJiāo ? - lah jee~ou[ch] (chillies ?) : Shì de / Bú shì *** Wǒ - I / me : woh Nǐ - You : nee Tā - He / she : tah *** Shopping and restaurants Wǒ Yào - I want / would like I would like one of these : Wǒ yào Yī ge Zhè ge (woh yow ee guh jay guh) *** ZhèGe - This : jay guh NàGe - That : nay guh *** Yī Ge - One (of) : ee guh Lian Ge - Two (of) : lee~ann guh (Two as a simple number is Er, pronounced 'are') Sān Ge - Three (of) : san guh *** Duō Shǎo Qián? - How much? (price) : doo~or sh~ow[l] chee~ann? Zhège duōshǎo qián? - How much is this? : jay guh Nàgè duōshǎo qián? - How much is that? : nay guh Tài Guì Le! - too expensive! : tie gwee ler! *** nǐhǎo ma? - How are you? : nee how mar ? Hǎo De - ok : how der Hěn Hǎo - Good : hen how Bù Hǎo - Not good : boo how *** ShénMe? - When? : shen mer NǎLi? - Where : nah lee? Nǎr - There (gesturing) : nah Qĭng wèn - Excuse me (before asking a stranger a question) : ching wen Qĭng wèn, weì shēng jiān (zài) nă lĭ? - Where is the restroom? : Ching wen. Way sheng jee~ann z~eye (nah) lee? Qĭng wèn, dìtiě zhàn (zài) nǎ lǐ? - Where is the metro station? : Ching wen, dee tee~air z~eye (nah) lee? You might hear zai nar in norther China (e.g. BeiJing) *** 小 Xiǎo - Small : sh~ow[l] 大 Dà - Big : dah Tai - Too : tie *** Bin De - Ice-cold : bin der Lian De - Cold : lee~ann der Rè de - Hot : rer der Rè chá - hot tea : rer char Bīng píjiǔ - Cold beer : bing pee jee~oh *** La - Spicy : lah Bu La - not spicy : boo lah Xiao La - a little spicy : shee~ow[l] lah Da La - Very spicy : dah lah Tai La! - too spicy! : tie lah! *** Noodles - Miàn : mee~ann Dumplings - JiǎoZi : jee~ow[l] zuh Rice - MiFàn / Fàn : mee fan / fan Eggs - JīDàn : jee dan Beef - NiúRòu 牛肉 : nee~you row Lamb - YángRòu 羊肉 : yang row Chicken - JīRòu 鸡肉 : jee row Pork - ZhūRòu 猪肉 : joo row Fish - YúRòu 鱼肉 : yoo row Tofu - DòuFu 豆腐 : doh foo (See BeijingBuzzz's food cheat sheet for much more) (Wo) Chī bǎole! - (I'm) full! : Woh ch b~ou[ch] ler! (Ni) Chī bǎole ma? - (Are you) full? : (Nee) ch b~ou[ch] ler maa? Ma is appended to change a statement into a question. *** ZhōngGuó - China : jong goo~woh YīngGuó - England : ying goo~woh MěiGuó - America : may goo~woh ZhōngWén - Chinese nationality : jong ren YīngWén - English nationality : ying ren *** Hótel - Hotel FànDiàn - Hotel / Restaurant : fan dee~ann Wǒ Bù ZhīDào - I don't know : woh boo juh~dow Tīng Bù Dǒng - I don't understand : ting boo dong ZhèGe Duōshǎo Qián? / DuōShǎo Qián? - How much is this? : doo~or sh~ow[l} chee~ann? Tài guìle ! - Too expensive ! : tie-gwee lah ! Wo Yao ... - I would like ... : woh yow ... Wǒ Yào ZhèGe - I want this one : woh yow jay~guh *** 5 yuan (kwai) / 2 pieces (items) 5元 / 2个 or 5元 2个 8 折 (bā zhé), which directly translates as '8 discount'. This means that the discounted price is 80% of the original price (20% off). 人 Rén - Person : ren 5元 / 2人 - 5 yuan for 2 people *** For toilet doors / WCs : 男 - Man 女 - Woman *** BúShì - No : boo shh ShìDe - Yes : Shh der Hǎo de - Okay : how der MéiYǒu - none / out of stock : may~oh *** Wǒ ài ... - I love ... : woh eye ... - I love this! : woh eye jay-guh! Wǒ ài ZhōngGuó - I love China : woh eye jong goo~woh *** Hǎo Chī - Delicious (literally good eat) : how ch Bú Hǎo Chī - Not tasty : boo how ch One can think of 'Bú' as meaning 'not' *** Wǒ Bù LiǎoJiě - I don't understand : woh boo lee~ow[l]~jee~air *** Chi - eat : ch Wǒ Xiǎng ... - I would like ... : woh shee~ang ... Wǒ Xiǎng Chī ... - I would like to eat ... : woh she~ang ch ... *** Directions Bei - North : bay Nan - South : nan Xi - West : shee Dong - East : dong *** DìTiě - Subway train : dee tee~air Dìtiě nali ma? - Where is the subway? : dee tee~air nah~lee ma Zhan - Train station : zahn Men - gate : men Yuan / kwai - rmb (currency) : yoo~ann / kw~eye (more common) Gong yuan - Park : gong yoo~ann *** KāFēi - Coffee : kah fay Chá - Tea : chah kěLè - Cola : ker ler PiJiou - Beer : pee jee~oh Shui - Water : shway Wo yao liang ge pijiou liande - I would like two cold beers : woh yow[l] lee~ann guh pee jee~oh lee~ann der *** Jia Yo! - Let's go! / Go! (encouraging) : jee~ah yoh! Wǒ Bù Shuō Hànyǔ / ZhōngWén - I don't speak Chinese (huh?!) Or simply Bù ZhōngWén : boo jong wen *** Numbers Numbers are easy (there are finger position numbers too, but that's not so easy) : 1 - Yī : ee 2 - Èr : are 3 - Sān : san 4 - Sì : si (the sound is the first half of 'soot') (short sound) 5 - Wǔ : woo~oh 6 - Liù : lee~oo 7 - Qī : chee 8 - Bā : bah 9 - Jiǔ : jee~oo 10 - Shí : shhh (longer sound) Example of 11 - 99 : 73 - Qi Shí Sān (7x10) + 3 : chee shhh san (7 10 3) 70 - Qi Shí (7x10) : chee shhh (7 10) 100 - Bǎi : buy Example of 101 - 999 : 357 - Sān Bǎi Wǔ Shí Qī (3x100 + 5x10 + 7) : san buy woo~oh shhh chee (3 100 5 10 7) 300 - Sān Bǎi (3x100) : san buy (3 100) One small complication - two (of) - rather than the number two) is liǎng ge : lee~ang ger *** Cheers! - GānBēi! : gan bey!

With MisterVaughn ... Welcome to BeiWangShan Forest Park Discover the natural beauty and tranquility of Beiwangshan Forest Park in Beijing. Introduction Beiwangshan Forest Park, located in Beijing, is a beautiful natural retreat offering a peaceful environment away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It is known for its lush greenery, scenic views, and diverse wildlife. Location Beiwangshan Forest Park is situated in the north-west part of Beijing, making it easily accessible from the city center. History Beiwangshan Forest Park was established in the late 20th century as part of Beijing's efforts to enhance urban green spaces and promote ecological conservation. The park has since become a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, offering a natural escape within the bustling city. The development of the park included extensive tree planting, trail construction, and the establishment of various facilities to support outdoor activities and environmental education. Over the years, it has grown into a mature forest park, celebrated for its biodiversity and scenic beauty. Attractions Scenic Trails: Explore numerous hiking trails that offer stunning views of the forest and surrounding areas. Observation Decks: Enjoy panoramic views from various observation decks situated within the park. Flora and Fauna: Witness a rich diversity of plant and animal species. Picnic Areas: Relax and have a meal in designated picnic spots. Activities Hiking and Nature Walks Bird Watching Photography Picnicking Camping (seasonal) Facilities Visitor Center Restrooms Parking Lots Food Stalls Guided Tour Services Visitor Tips Wear comfortable shoes for hiking. Bring enough water and snacks. Respect the natural environment; do not litter. Check the weather forecast before your visit. Follow park regulations and guidelines.

The coastal city of TianJin is a short high speed rail journey east of Beijing (about 45 minutes) ... The beautiful HaiHe River night cruise ... TianJin city guide ... TianJin in time-lapse ...

Bonus film - the whole long weekend trip ...

With Wei's Travel ...

With Valeriy Blank ...

With Jeffrey Sachs ...