HSK 4Lesson 57
China is a big country with very different regions. In this lesson Anne plans to explore the capital, Bai Jiayue and Wang Yixue choose which part of China to visit in the winter break, Liu Xiaoxue tells Anne about the peoples of Yunnan, and Bai Jiayue and Wang Yixue plan a class presentation about China in the world.
You will learn to talk about places in China: the capital and its old city, the east, west, south and north of the country, provinces and their ethnic groups, and China's place in Asia and the world.
Part 1 · 14 new words
Contains 4 words
capital (of a country)
city; town; city wall
century
measure word for songs and poems
Contains 5 words
the east (of a region)
the west (of a region)
Contains 2 words
ethnic group; nation
province
Contains 3 words
Asia
international
Part 2 · 8 phrases
去外国旅行，我一般先去首都，再去别的城市。
When I travel abroad, I usually go to the capital first and then other cities.
城里的房子贵，城外的便宜一些。
Houses in the city are expensive; those outside the city are a bit cheaper.
现在是二十一世纪，几乎每个人都有手机。
This is the twenty-first century, and almost everyone has a phone.
东部城市多，西部山多；南部暖和，北部冷。
The east has many cities and the west many mountains; the south is warm and the north is cold.
中国有五十六个民族，每个民族都有自己的节日。
China has fifty-six ethnic groups, and each has its own festival.
你老家在哪个省？离北京远不远？
Part 3 · 4 conversations
Teacher Wang asks Anne about her plans for the National Day holiday; Anne wants to finally explore Beijing's old streets, and Teacher Wang suggests how to prepare.
王老师Teacher Wang
安妮，十一放假你打算去哪儿玩？
Anne, where are you planning to go for the National Day holiday?
安妮Anne
我哪儿也不去，就在北京玩儿。我在首都住了这么久，还没好好看过这个城市呢。
I'm not going anywhere; I'll stay and explore Beijing. I've lived in the capital all this time and still haven't really seen the city.
the south (of a region)
the north (of a region)
measure word for movies and long books
the whole world; global
Which province is your hometown in? Is it far from Beijing?
这个国际学校，有来自全球的学生。
This is an international school with students from all over the world.
这部电影里有一首歌，我听了好几遍。
There's a song in this movie that I listened to several times.
王老师Teacher Wang
北京很值得好好看看。现在它是一个国际城市，可是北京城里还有很多老街。
Beijing is well worth exploring properly. Today it's an international city, but in the city there are still lots of old streets.
安妮Anne
听说有的老街十五世纪就有了，是真的吗？
I've heard some of the old streets were already there in the fifteenth century. Is that true?
王老师Teacher Wang
是真的，已经有五六百年了。去以前，你可以先看一部关于北京的电影。
It's true; they're five or six hundred years old. Before you go, you could watch a movie about Beijing.
安妮Anne
好主意。那我这个周末先看电影，十一放假再去老街走走。
Good idea. Then I'll watch a movie this weekend and walk around the old streets over National Day.
Bai Jiayue and Wang Yixue have one week of winter break and compare the north, south, east and west of China before choosing where to go.
白家月Bai Jiayue
寒假只有一个星期，我们去哪儿玩？
The winter break is only a week. Where shall we go?
王一雪Wang Yixue
北京的雪太少了，我想去中国最北部看大雪。
There's too little snow in Beijing. I'd like to go to the far north of China to see heavy snow.
白家月Bai Jiayue
北部冬天太冷了，零下二十多摄氏度！我想去南部，南部冬天也有二十多摄氏度。
The north is far too cold in winter, more than twenty below zero! I'd rather go south; it's over twenty degrees there even in winter.
王一雪Wang Yixue
可是寒假去南部的人太多，机票特别贵。东部呢？离我们近。
But so many people go south in the winter break that the flights are really expensive. What about the east? It's close to us.
白家月Bai Jiayue
东部的大城市我们去过好几个了，我想看点儿不一样的。
We've already been to quite a few big cities in the east. I'd like to see something different.
王一雪Wang Yixue
那西部怎么样？西部山多，人少，风景很漂亮，也不太贵。
Then how about the west? The west has many mountains and few people, the scenery is beautiful, and it isn't too expensive.
白家月Bai Jiayue
好，就去西部的云南省吧，还能吃到很多不一样的菜。
Great, let's go to Yunnan province in the west. We can try lots of different food too.
Anne asks Liu Xiaoxue, whose grandmother comes from Yunnan, about the ethnic groups there, and Xiaoxue invites her to visit her grandmother in the winter break.
安妮Anne
小雪，你奶奶的老家在云南吧？听说云南省民族特别多。
Xiaoxue, your grandma comes from Yunnan, right? I've heard Yunnan province has a great many ethnic groups.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
对，有二十六个民族，是中国民族最多的省。
Yes, twenty-six. It's the province with the most ethnic groups in China.
安妮Anne
每个民族的生活习惯都不一样吗？
Does every ethnic group have different customs?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
有很多不一样，比如节日、衣服和吃的东西。我奶奶会唱很多首自己民族的老歌。
A lot is different, like festivals, clothes and food. My grandma can sing lots of old songs of her own people.
安妮Anne
真的吗？我真想听听！
Really? I'd love to hear them!
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
那寒假你跟我去看奶奶吧，她最喜欢给客人唱歌了。
Then come with me to see her in the winter break. She loves singing for guests.
Bai Jiayue and Wang Yixue plan the structure of their class presentation about China in the twenty-first century.
白家月Bai Jiayue
我们要介绍的是“二十一世纪的中国”，你觉得先说什么？
Our presentation is on 'China in the Twenty-first Century'. What do you think we should start with?
王一雪Wang Yixue
先说中国在哪儿：中国在亚洲的东部，是亚洲一个很大的国家。
First, where China is: China is in the east of Asia and is a very big country in Asia.
白家月Bai Jiayue
然后说说中国和世界的关系。现在在全球都能买到中国的东西。
Then China's ties with the world. Now you can buy Chinese goods all over the world.
王一雪Wang Yixue
还可以说国际学生。我们学校就有三十多个国家的学生。
We can also talk about international students. Our own school has students from over thirty countries.
白家月Bai Jiayue
这个例子好。最后我们放一首中国歌，大家会觉得更有意思。
That's a good example. At the end let's play a Chinese song; everyone will find it more fun.
王一雪Wang Yixue
好，我今天晚上就去找一首大家都会唱的。
Okay, tonight I'll find one that everyone can sing.
