Nevermind that filming had been ongoing for weeks, and the script was explicitly based on records of Allied meetings during the Battle of the Bulge. The envoy from the Ministry of Culture had been adamant: changes were needed to both script and cast if shooting was to continue on schedule. Which was how the international WWII production found itself in disarray as its director headed off for an emergency meeting with his executive producer.

If you're learning Chinese and are at the intermediate level, we think you'll like this lesson. It's based on a fairly lengthy dialogue, but is a fun one filled with colloquial mandarin spoken they way you'll hear on television and on the streets in China. We also move beyond teaching vocabulary to talk about a useful way to sound ironic, sarcastic and disappointed when something doesn't go your way. We hope you enjoy it!