We're developing a conspiracy theory that the Great Wall was really designed to act as a two-way non-permeable culture membrane. Because while it manages to keep an enormous amount of foreign music from getting into China, it also tends to trap what little amount trickles in, amplifying seemingly random musicians into Asian megastars and ricocheting their work around the country until it pervades everything from banking telephone hotlines to railways to practically every handheld device with an audio-out function.
Echo
 said on
February 10, 2012
Since I did this podcast, the famous music has been echoing in my mind...Sometimes I would hum the song without even realizing it until other people asked if I have special fonds for China Unicom...

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
murrayjames
 said on
February 10, 2012
As a saxophone player living in China, I get asked to play 回家 ALL the time.
drummerboy
 said on
February 10, 2012
Kenny G and the theme from the Titanic were the two most over played pieces of music when I lived in China back in the late 90's early 00's. It was impossible to escape and incredibly frustrating as a musician. It was like nails on a chalkboard. I feel your pain!
murrayjames
 said on
February 10, 2012
It's ok. I usually just lie and say I don't know the song.
craigrut
 said on
February 12, 2012
Echo, you should go hang out next to Brendan and hum it. I bet he loves it as much as Kenny G :).
j.stewartwallace
 said on
February 14, 2012
Hi, this lesson has raised a small grammar question with me. I have always thought that 跟 should be used in conjunction with 一起. But... having had a look at this dialogue and 3 others none of them use 一起. Can it be dropped?

Echo
 said on
February 14, 2012
@j.stewartwallace,

Yes, and 跟 also has several different meanings/usages. When 跟 is used as "with", it can go with 一起. For instance, 你跟他一起去 （you go together with him). In the dialogue, it is another meaning of 跟 -- to. Like in this sentence, 你跟他说了吗（have you spoken to him)?

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
j.stewartwallace
 said on
February 14, 2012
Thankyou!
johnb3345
 said on
March 22, 2012
Hi, in the following sentence:

这个你等我问问小红，你先别挂。

What is the role of 这个 and why is 先 in there?
amber
 said on
March 22, 2012
@johnb3345,

'这个' here is just one of some words when you don't know what to say immediately, like 'and' or 'hmm' in English.

'先' means something happens before another thing happens. In this sentence, the speaker says he will call 小红, and tells the man don't hung up. With this 先 here, he mean before he call 小红, the man don't hung up.

--Amber

Jesse
 said on
May 3, 2012
Hi all - When they're talking fast in the dialogue, I'm kinda noticing a few shortcuts or reductions in pronunciation:

我这就给他打 -> gei3 da5 da3

The ”他“ sounds more like "da5" to me.

小王今天晚上有个聚会 -> xiao3wang2 nin1nian1 van3rang4

The “今天腕上” sounds almost like "nin1nian1 van3rang4" to me.

Does anyone else hear it like this? I've definitely heard the "sh" "zh" turn into "r" (eg, 不知道 -> bu4 ri dao4). It's kinda like how in English sometimes instead of "I don't know" I'll say "Eye-oh no."

OH! Just realized that wikipedia already has all of these things catalogued:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_dialect

In that case, I'll just say I love the natural sound of these dialogues. It's great to hear real Chinese as it's actually spoken.
trevelyan
 said on
May 3, 2012
Hey Jesse,

The 今天腕上 is definitely fast and loose, but it isn't really the Beijing dialect so much as just the way mandarin can get rushed sometimes when people are speaking casually and quickly. So it's a nationwide thing more than a Beijing-thing.

And thanks for sharing the link and for the feedback. If you like the really colloquial recordings, you might also enjoy this one: http://popupchinese.com/lessons/intermediate/locked-in-the-studio.

Jesse
 said on
May 3, 2012
I think you've got me figured out. That's the lesson that got me to switch to your podcast.