LEARNING OBJECTIVES In this lesson, you will learn to use Chinese to 1. Describe what costs may be covered in a package tour; 2. Give a brief description of a Chinese sleeper car; 3. Describe natural objects such as mountains, rivers, trees, and rocks; 4. Discuss some things that tourists may expect to see or experience at a tourist site. RELATE AND GET READY In your own culture/community— • Do tourists prefer to travel by airplane, car, bus, or train? • Do many people like to keep a journal when they travel and post it on their blogs? • Do people prefer to plan their own travel itinerary or join a tour group? • What kinds of hotel accommodations are there? How do they vary? Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook Before You Study Check the statements that apply to you. P| 1.1 like to travel by train. f~l 2.1 have traveled on a sleeping car. When You Study Listen to the audio recording and scan the text. Ask yourself the following questions before you begin a close reading of the text. 1. Where doTianming, Lisa, Ke Lin, and Xuemei meet up with one another? Lesson 13- ii^iiili&if 73 : ■: ■ Q 3.1 have visited an ethnic minority region. Q 4.1 like to purchase souvenirs when I travel. I \ 5.1 have stayed at a bed-and-breakfast. _J 2. Overall, what doTianming and Lisa like about their train ride? What do they dislike? 3. Do they think their tour guide has done a good job? 4. Do Tianming and Ke Lin enjoy souvenir shopping? ___) Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook it LANGUAGE NOTES O eLfe can also be pronounced "baogua" in Taiwan. © §k/&\- here is short for BLM/&YiM (sleeping bunk). ©^^^fl/St^r^lt (shui de zhao jiao) means "be able to fall asleep." Lesson 13 • i(<-$±lit<-)if 75 0 In Taiwan, instead of the corresponding word is ii.ltjV'fJL it (biandang), which is Japanese in origin. ©Instant noodles, 7] i$.^s./7) , literally means "convenient noodles." In Taiwan the corresponding word is /'fe^/>'feiSj (paomian, soaked noodles). © ^fflf/^"Bt is short for and slightly more literary than ^(6\J)#M/^fr-)) EhH'I (sometimes). Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook # in t si itmxmf w, - w >t LANGUAGE NOTES © I] i^itf / I] is literally "self-assisted travel." i) is short for I) fL (self), while i# is short for &Jj (help). The term i) il^T, short for i] ife^^T, is now also very common. Lesson 13 • $3£tl$.$% 77 lir® ° á^n^^^i-uA, © "é" in "ári^, is short for and í& is short for i^ff5". Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook ^ ° fi /4 $t$f / ^ Ä $i ft After You Study Challenge yourself to complete the following tasks in Chinese. 1. List the pros and cons of traveling in a sleeper car. 2. List the places thatTianming, Lisa, Xuemei, and Ke Lin visited and the distinguishing features of those places. Lesson 13 • it'^I^Hf 79 mt: # raj is.a 3. Summarize the tour guide's introduction to Yunnan. 4. List the place that they are going to visit next. Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook VOCABULARY 1. fenbie adv/v separately; respectively; to part from each other 2. A* chüfä V to set out; to depart 3. Hit meili adj beautiful 4. «(T) liu (xia) v(c) to leave behind; to stay behind 5. shen adj profound; deep; dark (color); intimati (of relations or feelings) 6. fenxiäng V to share (joy, happiness, benefit, etc.) 7. zhT P (literary counterpart of ) 8. bäo ming vo to sign up; to register 9. cänjiä V to participate; to take part; to attend 10. SI SI tuän n group; organization 11. bäokuö V to include; to consist of 12. 3c ill jiäotöng n transportation; traffic 13. PI* menpiäo n admission ticket; admission fee 14. luke n passenger; voyager; traveler 15. Ving adj hard 16. wöpü n sleeping berth or bunk on a train 17. chexiäng n railway carriage 18. m% zhentou n pillow 19. *: ft ruän adj soft 20. guän V to close; to turn off 21. da hülu vo to snore "A Lesson 13 • 81 22. « dun m (measure word for meals) 23. hefan n box lunch 24. mian n noodles 25. yongbao V to embrace; to hug 26. A JR. youmo adj humorous 27. dou v/adj to tease; to play with; amusing 28. shenghui n provincial capital 29. mei adj beautiful; good 30. qmyan adv (to see) with one's own eyes 31. yfnshf n diet; food and drink 32. fengsu n custom 33. f-If 5« xfguan n/v habit; to be accustomed to 34. youlan v/n to go sightseeing; to tour; excursion 35. shitou n stone; rock; pebble 36. shulfn n woods; forest 37. jiang V to speak; to tell 38. gushi n story; tale 39. ta n tower; pagoda-shaped structure 40. gulao adj ancient; old 41. jinianpln n souvenir; keepsake; memento 42. qianwan adv by all means; absolutely must 43. he n river 44. chaguan n teahouse 45. denglong n lantern Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook 46. iM-£ 47. 4"^. Proper Nouns 48. >b1 49. y5 ^ 50. *L3g 51. läi wäng v fängdöng n Kunming Shilin DalT üjiäng to come and go; to have dealings with landlord or landlady Kunming (capital of Yunnan Province) The Stone Forest Dali Lijiang Enlarged Characters Lesson 13* fc%£/Z$-'$f- 83 Culture Highlights , the Stone Forest, lies about 53 miles south of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. Part of South China's karst topography, the Stone Forest is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. It is one of the most photographed scenic sights in Yunnan, covering an area of about 160 square miles. The name derives from the forest-like rock formations in the geological park. The core of the scenic area consists of a group of fantastically shaped rocks. Because of their unusual forms, many of these rocks have become associated with popular legends and have been given fanciful names. Dali is the capital of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in central Yunnan. The local Bai people are one of the province's main ethnic groups. J\~$%L-^-&&~, the Three Pagodas of Dali, are the only remnants of an extensive ninth-century Tantric or Esoteric Buddhist temple complex built by the royal family of the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom. The three pagodas form an equilateral triangle. The central and tallest pagoda, at about 207 feet, has sixteen stories 84 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 2 • Textbook and bears a close resemblance to the famous Small Goose Pagoda in Xi'an. However, unlike most pagodas in the Chinese hinterland, the Three Pagodas of Dali have an even number of floors. The two ten-story pagodas are about 126 feet tall. The whitewashed pagodas fronting a beautiful blue lake are one of the most memorable sights of Yunnan. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and dotted with pristine lakes, Jl/-i/ $3-, Lijiang, is located in northwestern Yunnan. M*fe-~$3$ki/ the Old City of Lijiang, is one of the best preserved in China. It survived a major earthquake in 1996 and has since become an extremely popular tourist city. The streets are paved with blue-gray flagstones, and small streams and rivulets ripple through the city. Most of the low-lying houses in Lijiang feature tiled roofs and carved wooden windows. Most of the city's residents belong to the Naxi ethnic minority. Lesson 13 • fcWffi-fflh 85 Yunnan is home to twenty-five officially recognized national minorities, who make up about a third of the province's population. About fifteen nationalities, including the Bai, Hani, Yi, Naxi, and Dai, are indigenous to Yunnan. Many of these minorities have their own distinct languages, cultures, and religious traditions. The Dai, for instance, practice Theravada Buddhism, and are linguistically related to Laotians and the Shan people of Burma. The Yao and Miao are famous for their embroidery and their elaborate silver headdresses and jewelry. The largest and most widely dispersed minority are the Yi, who practice an animist religion. 86 Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook Grammar 1. Comparative Sentences There are several forms of comparative sentences in Chinese. They can be summarized as follows. A. Comparisons to indicate either sameness or difference: $$Jfo ■ •' (^) — #/(^) — # (+ Adj/Mental Verb) can be used to suggest that two things are identical or different. (Yunnan's weather is different from Shanghai's weather.) - '^Jc/'" if- can be followed by an adjective, or by a mental verb such as ^H- or Note: unlike regular verbs, mental verbs may be preceded by -j^. ^E- (would like), -^--fffc/ i-Sfc. (to like), (to yearn for), ^pT j£ (to hope), l^/(to love), (taoyan, to dislike), (to oppose), 1^] (to agree), and J^/^1 (zancheng, to approve) are just some of the verbs that convey mental states or activities, emotions, desires, attitudes, and so on. (This building and that building are not the same height.) [ r§J specifies the difference in terms of height. ] if #4-^^^ ° (Lisa likes souvenir shopping as much as Xuemei does.) Remember that it is incorrect to use it to mark this kind of comparison. Instead we should use ^ or fa: * it it4t it #|$ it. # ^ — # |j > Lesson 13 • ^istli^M 87 B. Comparison to indicate difference only a. Using £b as a comparison marker A + Jfc + B + AdjVMental Verb (Zhang Tianming is more careless than his cousin.) (My tutor likes to go online more than I do.) Alternate patterns to indicate degree of difference: A+*b + B + Adj + —T A+>t + B + Adj + —T (Sichuanese cooking is a little bit oilier than Cantonese cooking.) (His roommate is much more fashionable than he is.) f f tf<&mmw% & £ t ° f f ift'lt^b^^-gq £ 7 ° (My uncle is much more outgoing than my mother.) Note that first, we cannot modify the adjectives or mental verbs with or similar adverbs expressing degree or extent. * 4Mb 41*1} ' Second, "A + ^ £b + B + Adj/Mental Verb" means A < B: 88 Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook © A: (Lisa's scholarship is bigger than Xuemei's, right?) (Lisa's scholarship is not any bigger than Xuemei's. They are the same.) (No, Lisa's is smaller than Xuemei's.) b. Using /Jl^T to compare A + }Jt^T + B + AdjVMental Verb (Our tour guide is not as humorous as theirs.) C. Using to compare means more or less the same thing as /JL^f, except that the adjective after ^ "^P is usually positive in meaning. (Emailing is not as convenient as sending text messages.) (The box lunch you made was not as tasty as the one I made.) When the context is clear, the adjective after can be omitted. © ^i##^«t> ° (#) (I am not as good as you are academically.) Lesson 13 • itisilifcfc 89 (We are traveling to such a distant place. Taking the train, of course, can't compare with taking the plane [in terms of speed].) 2. Numerals in Idioms Some idioms in Chinese contain two numerals, which are usually consecutive. These idioms usually have set meanings. For instance, can be interpreted to mean "myriad" or "many," e.g., (strange in all sorts of ways) and "V^^lF(qian jiao bai mei, charming in myriad ways). Another example would be ~"f~ and $h to emphasize "a large quantity," as in (protean; constantly changing), large and powerful army), (hu) (tens of thousands of families and households). Similarly, there (very colorful; variegated). and •—on the other hand, mean "straightforward" and "clear-cut" as in " '^U — f^~/' "T~— ^ (quick and clean; complete), Vq"—sZ, (crystal clear). *fc and suggest "messy" and "chaotic," as in (at an utter loss, feeling unsettled), at sixes nd sevens; messy), (too many cooks spoiling the broth), -b^/V-^- (she)(all talking in confusion). Some expressions involve non-consecutive numbers: (dazzlingly colored), (all manner of; every kind of). There are also expressions in which the numbers go from large to small: -^-^l^J/JC/ffi) sfc. (repeatedly), -H-'^-^H? (half-hearted). a 3. Multiple Attributives A noun can take several qualifiers or attributives. The order of these attributives follows certain rules. In Lesson 11, we have —*^"/ —%^T^^) 'hff (a very Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook clean river), and - fa M% / " >MM" ^&¥fM$r 7$ (a teahouse with distinct Yunnan characteristics). Numeral-measure words normally precede descriptive modifiers, e.g., - \^T~t% "fd -^j^ (a pretty sweater), "fi^f (a famous professor), — #] 'W 'W (a big red^ character), ^^^^^L/^^^'It^W^^^ (two close friends), JM®[5] #f#f % ^/i^'M^^f 1*1 ¥)$%$L±. (five graduate students with distinct personalities), etc. Sometimes descriptive modifiers can be placed before numeral-measure words for emphasis, e.g.. (Even a one bedroom, one living-room apartment costs as much as a million. That's too expensive.) (A three-year-old child can already recognize two thousand Chinese characters. That's incredible.) Lesson 13« itisilifcif 91 Words & Phrases A. (separately; respectively; to part from each other) The adverb ^ $'1 is usually used before action verbs. O feffl 3M i- ft >ti & t fa & t tb ll 0 [adverb] it Hi _€ M i- ft £>] Ik rl71 fa & t j±l %L ° (They departed separately on Friday from Nanjing and Beijing.) it4-$V 0 [adverb] (This weekend we are having a party. I called my friends one by one, and they all said that they would come.) /ft~;?'] is also a verb meaning "to separate" or "to part from each other." © $MbfrM , — JL&#JLt& - [verb] (He and I went our separate ways ten years ago. We haven't seen each other since.) 0 H^JliUT'tft, #€#°[verb[ (Since we parted from each other, we have been phoning and emailing each other almost daily.) B. £p %- (impression) £p often appears in the following constructions: 1. A *JV*fr B ^J*f |L«/^/«C--' (A has a very good [or bad, or very deep...] impression of B. Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook 2. b.^/^a^rmf/r^/^^---^^^ (B gave A a very good [or bad, or very deep...] impression.) (have [no] impression or recollection) O a: 4fc*M|MfivM$—#te#*p ^M^A^-;£j*L^, afrits (This is the first time you've met that person. What's your impression of him?) B: 3plBAtft#*»L, <&MI>3, (That person is very humorous and outgoing. My impression of him is rather good.) t m #*p—>H$1if tr^ ^p it^? (Which city in China gave you the deepest impression?) (The ancient architecture in Beijing left me with the deepest impression.) (I hear you have been to Yunnan. Do you have a good impression [of that place]?) J^fr^plMfw0 (Yunnan has beautiful scenery, and the foods, costumes, customs and habits of the national minority groups are very unique. They gave me a very good impression.) Lesson 13 • fa$tlfai% 93 (This thing happened many years ago. I've no recollection of it anymore.) C. (to share joy, happiness, benefit, or something pleasant or positive) __J The object is usually an abstract noun. When used intransitively, the verb often occurs in this pattern: someone ^7"-f-." in, m&in & z> ¥j >\k * ° in, n%in^4~ ij ° (After learning that he had gotten into graduate school, he was very happy. He called his friends right away to share his happiness with them.) (Of course I want to share my good fortune with my family.) (He shared with his girlfriend every positive thing in his life.) D. ^Cst" (before; prior to) J means 1§y in Classical Chinese. -^L 3'J means "before such and such a time." If the time is specified, the preposition can be used. When used alone at the beginning of a sentence, B>] means "beforehand" or "previously," as in ©. (Before graduation, I have to intern for two months.) Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook (No one had told me stones about the Stone Forest before. ii] ^ £f (have no choice but) (I wanted very much to watch a basketball game today, but tonight when I got to the stadium, the tickets were all sold out, so I'll just have to wait till another time.) (Little Zhang's parents stopped giving him an allowance, so he has to work part-time.) Lesson 13 • i^ij£/i|u#- 95 F.W, WL £), WL$r, ft-f, *MV#«lf #6, *t V_,________J All these are adverbs. fJL/# is short for Wi t] /# I) (oneself). # BH and IJL -^f~/r^-^f" suggest firsthand experiences, whereas 3v_;l}/ / 3$ and 3vf, i] /^ i| convey personal attention and special care because the person considers it important to do so. (Grandma made this New Year's Eve dinner with her own hands. Please dig in.) [The dinner is important to Grandma.] (She broke up with her boyfriend. I heard her say that with my own ears.) [It's not hearsay.] (This is a very important matter. You'd better attend to it yourself.) [You have to take it seriously.] ° (I experienced these things first-hand.) [It's not hearsay.] means; absolutely must) ~\~ p§j /~f~ 7j means "to make certain." It occurs in imperative sentences to advise or to urge. (Tomorrow is the final exam. Make sure that you aren't late.) Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook (Make sure that you don't tell Mom about this. She'd be very worried.) H. i&/^ ii (however; no more than) V_J As you may recall, can be a conjunction indicating a turn in thought: (Nanjing's summers are very hot, but the rooms have air conditioning, so it's not so unbearable.) In this lesson, is used as an adverb meaning "only, no more than," and it can be modified by J\ . (This ancient town is not big. It only takes a couple of hours to go from the east to the west side.) (I was only joking with you. Why are you crying?) Lesson 13 • 97 Language Practice A. I Know It by First-Hand Experience... Make each of the following statements more convincing by using WIM^/ "^"0^, IPL-^F'/$L EXAMPLE: 3.f ^*UM&>i« 6. ° 98 Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook B.You Mustn't Do It! _______j Based on each of the scenarios below, advise your EXAMPLE: #jfc7, against doing something by using #*b7, 5. ^>NMHfc#*Mf Lesson 13 • ittiilfc^ 99 C. A Frugal Traveler Imagine that you are planning a trip on a modest budget. a. Discuss with a partner the things you are willing to spend money on and the things you are not. b. Consider the possibility of traveling on your own instead of joining a tour group.Talk about the pros and the cons of a t] .tfritf./ |) Sjj'fflj- with your partner. 1.__ i. 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. c. After looking at both sides, explain to your partner whether you would like to join a tour group or travel by yourself. 1 00 Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook D. Should We Travel by Train? How would you convince your friends that they should or should not take the train for a long-distance trip in China? You may want to mention the price, speed, comfort level,food, hard vs. soft sleeper, opportunities to communicate with other travelers, etc. a. Discuss with a partner the pros and the cons of traveling by train. 2.. 3. 4. 1._ 2._ 3._ 4._ '■" ::: ■ ■■■■■■■..... b. Based on the list, make comparisons with other means of transportation using tfc, ^~kp, and EXAMPLE: c. Poll the class and see whether the majority of the class prefers the train to other means of transportation. Lesson 13 • itsilJ&if 101 E. A Nature Lover a. What would a nature lover say about some of the most beautiful things in the natural landscape? Let's start with the basics by listing some adjectives to describe each of the following. 1. )U : 2. H: 3. mm 4. b. Ask a partner to list the nature reserves or national parks (SI 8] / S] "W-fe W\) that he or she has visited: Ask your partner: (the nature reserves or national parks from above) fr\J £p JH>f? (the nature reserves or national parks from above) #J £p %. & ;A #? c. Ask your partner to describe his or her impressions of what he or she has seen. EXAMPLE: ll) A: #|*;L#J J^&&#? B: ^JU^JL_ i. >^r 2.#/# 4.If/Kf d. Switch roles. 1 02 Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook - F.What Kind of Tourist Are You? V_J a. In addition to appreciating natural and architectural beauty, select from the list below the activities that you would enjoy doing as a tourist. b. Combine the activities you have selected above with ~f[/^i, Mi%/%x- % , ^Hi: / ft}" l1^, or . By doing so, tell a partner what kind of tourist you are. You can start by saying... G. Writing Practice V_J Based on the text, compile a daily itinerary of Zhang Tianming and his friends'trips starting from when they first depart Nanjing or Beijing. Lesson 13 • í&i^AJČ-íJf- 103 Pinyin Text XTn xuéqT kaishí qián, Zháng Tiánmíng, Llshá hé Kě Lín, Xuěméi yiqí qú Yúnnán lůyóu. Támen yuě háo xmgqTwů wánshang fěnbié cóng Nanjing hé BěijTng chúfá, xTngqTtián zái Kunming jián mián. Cóng xTngqT yT kaishí, támen zái Yúnnán luyóu le yí ge xTngqT. Zhongguó de huóchě, dáoyóu hé Yúnnán měili de fěngjíng, dóu gěi Tiánmíng liú xia hěn shěn de yinxiáng. Zháng Tiánmíng měitián xiě bókě, rang péngyou men fěnxiáng žijí de kuáilě. Qú Yúnnán zhí qián, women zái wáng shang báomíng cánjiá le yí ge lůxíngtuán. Tuán fěi báokuó® jiáotong, luguán, sán cán, hé jíngdián ménpiáo. Women shi zuó huóchě qú de Yúnnán, wěile néng gěn bié de lukě liánxí shuó Zhóngwén, women mái le yingwó® piáo, yTnwěi yingwó chěxiáng měi ge "fángjián" dóu méiyóu mén, róngyi zháo rén liáo tiánr. Wó zái sháng pú, shang pú bí xiá pú hé zhóng pú ánjing yi dián, wánshang kěyí shui ge háo jiáo. Chuáng shang yóu tánzi hé zhěntou, hěn gánjing. Wó yě qú ruánwó chěxiáng kán le kan. Náli měi ge xiáo fángjián li yóu liáng ge sháng pú, liáng ge xiá pú, chuáng bíjiáo ruán yě bíjiáo dá, fángjián de mén kěyí guán shang. Women méiyóu mái ruánwó piáo, hái yTnwěi pá bié rén shui jiáo dá húlu. Ní xiáng xiang, zái zhěme xiáo de fángjián li, guán shang mén, rúguó yóu rén bútíng de dá húlu, ni hái néng shui de zháo jiáo® ma? Zhě shi cánchě. Women zái cánchě shang chí le yí dún fán, náli de fán, wó juéde yóu gui yóu nánchi, búrú® mái héfán® huózhě fángbián mián®. Wó hé Lishá zái Kunming xiá chě hóu, děng le liáng ge duo xiáoshí, Xuěméi hé Kě Lín támen de huóchě cái dáo. Women yí jián mián, dájiá jiú gáoxing de yóngbáo qi lai, suírán cái fěnbié ji tián, kěshi háoxiáng háo jiú bú jián le. Women yiqí zóu chu huóchě zhán, kán dáo dáoyóu zhěng jú zhe páizi zháo wómen, páizi shang xiě de shi women si ge rén de míngzi. Wómen de dáoyóu shuó huá hěn yóumó, cháng dóu de dájiá há há dá xiáo. Búguó yóushí® tá shuó de huá wómen sán ge rén dóu ting bu dóng, Xuěméi zhiháo gěi wómen dáng fányi. Dáoyóu jiěsháo shuó Yúnnán shi yí ge shěng, zái Zhongguó de xínán bú, shěnghui shi Kunming. Yúnnán zirán fěngjíng hěn měi, yóu shán yóu shui, zhěli zhú zhe hěn duo sháoshú mínzú. Lái Yúnnán lůyóu, kěyí qínyán kán kan bú tóng mínzú de jiánzhú, fúzhuáng, yínshí, liáojiě gě ge mínzú de fěngsú xíguán. _) 104 Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook Di vT tiän women yóulán le Shílín. Zhě shi yi zhäng Shílín de zhäopiän. Shílín yöu hěn duö yánsě hěn shěn de shítou, yuan kán jiů xiáng shůlín yíyang. Shítou de yängzi qiän qí bai guái®. Women zäi Shílín li yibiän zöu, yibiän ting däoyou jiäng nä xiě shítou de gúshi, fěicháng yöu yisi. Shílín gěi women liú xia le hěn shěn de yinxiáng. Zhě shi Dálí sän tä, jiänzhü hěn güläo, hěn yöuming. DäIT chéng Ii yöu hěn duö mäi jiniänpin de shängdiän, däoyou bä women däi däo när, xTwäng däjiä duö mäi döngxi. Xuěméi hé üshä hěn gäoxlng, mäi le bü shäo jiniänpin, ér wo gen Kě Lín shöu bu liäo, jiü bäoyuän shuö täi längfei shijiän le. Xiä ci nimen däo Zhöngguö lüyöu zhäo lüxingtuän, yiding yäo xiän wen qTngchu, qiänwän bié zhäo yöu "göuwü" de tuän. Nímen kěyi zizhúyóu®, näyängjiü ziyöu duö le. Di sän tiän, däo le yöuming de Lijiäng gücheng®, women fěicháng xihuan zhěli. Zhě ge gúchéng bú dá, cóng döngbian zöu däo xibian buguö yi Häng ge xiäoshi. Zui těbié de shi yöu yi tiáo fěicháng gänjing de xiäo hé® cóng chéng zhöngjiän liú guo. Xiäo hé Häng biän yöu hěn duö shängdiän, chäguän, xiäo fänguän. Nä tiän wänshang, women zäi yí ge hěn yöu Yúnnán tese de chäguän li hě chá, kán zhe wäi bian de xiäo hé, mén páng de hóng děnglong, hái yöu lái lái wäng wäng de yóukě, döu bů xiäng hui lüguän qú shui jiáo le. Zäi Lijiäng, women zhü le liäng tiän jiäting lüguän. Fängjiän suirán hěn xiäo, dänshi hěn gänjing, yě néng shäng wäng. Fängdöng hái gěi women zuö le xiě jiächang cäi, lä lä de, wěidao hěn bucuö. Yúnnán gě ge difang de fěngjing bü yíyang, hái yöu hěn duö häowän de difang. Women míng tiän yäo qü yöulän dä xueshän. Wö guö ji tiän hui bä päi häo de zhäopiän fang zäi bókě shang. English Text Before the new semester started, Zhang Tianming, Lisa, Ke Lin, and Xuemei went on a trip to Yunnan. They agreed to leave separately from Nanjing and Beijing on Friday evening and meet up in Kunming on Sunday. From [the following] Monday they toured Yunnan for a week. China's trains, tour guides, and Yunnan's beautiful scenery all made a deep impression on Tianming. Zhang Tianming updated his blog every day to share his pleasant experience with his friends. Lesson 13 • M^t/^M- 1 Before we went to Yunnan, we signed up online to join a tour group. The fees for the tour group included transportation, hotels, three meals [a day], and admission tickets to the scenic spots. We went to Yunnan by train. In order to practice speaking Chinese with the other passengers, we bought tickets for a hard sleeper because the "rooms" of the hard sleeper cars don't have doors, so it's easier to find people to chat with. I had the upper bunk. The upper bunk was quieter than the middle and lower bunks, so I could get a good night's sleep. On the bunk there was a blanket and a pillow. They were very clean. I also went to the soft sleeper car to have a look. There each compartment had two upper bunks and two lower bunks. The bunks were softer and also bigger, and the doors could be closed. The other reason we didn't buy tickets for a soft sleeper was that we were afraid the others in our compartment would snore. Just think, in such a small compartment with the doors closed, if someone snored non-stop, would you be able to sleep? This is the dining car. We ate in the dining car once. I thought the food was both expensive and terrible-tasting. It's better to get a box lunch or instant noodles. After Lisa and I got off the train in Kunming, we waited for more than two hours for Xuemei and Ke Lin's train to arrive. When we saw one another, we happily hugged. Although we had been apart for only a few days, it seemed like we hadn't seen one another for a long time. We walked out of the train station together and saw our tour guide holding a sign looking for us. Our names were written on the sign. Our tour guide was very humorous, making us laugh all the time, but sometimes we three didn't understand him. Xuemei had to be our interpreter. Our tour guide told us that Yunnan is a province in southwestern China. The provincial capital is Kunming. The natural landscape of Yunnan is very beautiful, with mountains and rivers. Many minority groups also live here. If you take a trip to Yunnan, you can see firsthand the architecture, costumes, food and drinks of the different ethnic groups and understand the customs of each ethnic group. On the first day we visited the Stone Forest. This is a picture of the Stone Forest. There are many deep-colored rocks in the Stone Forest which, when viewed from a distance, look like a forest of trees. The appearances of the rocks are all different and bizarre. We walked around in the Stone Forest and listened to the guide tell stories about the rocks. They were very interesting. The Stone Forest made a deep impression on us. These are the Three Pagodas of Dali. The buildings are very ancient and very famous. There are many stores that sell souvenirs in Dali. The guide took us there and hoped that we would buy lots of things. Xuemei and Lisa were very glad and bought many souvenirs, but Ke Lin and I couldn't stand it and complained that it was a waste of time. Next time when you are in China looking 106 Integrated Chinese • Level 2 Part 2 • Textbook f _-^ for a tour group, you must ask questions first to make sure that you don't join a "shopping" tour group. Or perhaps you can travel on your own. That way you'll be much freer. On the third day we arrived in the famous old town of Lijiang. We really like it here. This old town is not very large, and it takes only a couple of hours to walk from the east to the west side. The most unusuaJ thing [about the old town] is a very clean smal] river running through the city. The two sides of the river are lined with many stores, teahouses, and small restaurants. That night we drank tea in a distinctly Yunnanese teahouse while looking at the river, the red lanterns beside the doors, and the comings and goings of the tourists. We almost didn't want to go back to the hotel to sleep. In Lijiang we stayed in a family-run hotel for two days. The rooms were small, but they were very clean, and we could also access the internet. The landlord made us some home-style dishes that were spicy and very tasty. Each region of Yunnan has a different landscape, and there are also many fun places. Tomorrow we will visit the big snow mountain. In a few days I'll post my photos on this blog. SELF-ASSESSMENT How well can you do these things? Check ( y/ ) the boxes to evaluate your progress and see which tasks you may need to practice more. I can Itemize the expenses of joining a group tour Give a brief description of a Chinese sleeper car Describe some natural objects such as mountains, rivers, trees and rocks Discuss some of the things that tourists may expect to see or experience at a tourist site Very Well OK A Little □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □