Follow me to a trip to China

[Hillbillenigma]

I am so jealous of your Dumplings and WonTon soup!

 

[ManueB]

I hope you found your family in good health and happy to see you !

Do you speak Mandarin there ? Does it come back to you easily ?

When was the last time you visited and did you find many changes ? We heard a lot here on the media about how COVID changed things in China, wondering what your thoughts are on this !

 

[lightm]

I hope you found your family in good health and happy to see you !

Do you speak Mandarin there ? Does it come back to you easily ?

When was the last time you visited and did you find many changes ? We heard a lot here on the media about how COVID changed things in China, wondering what your thoughts are on this !

Yes my parents are doing well. Thank you.

We speak a dialect here that is hard to understand by nonlocals. Starting my generation, the school emphasizes on speaking mandarin. I remember learning mandarin around 7. But in the long run, I become more expressive in mandarin.

My parents barely speak enough mandarin to travel to other parts of China.

I speak to my parents somewhat regularly so I get my dialect practiced. But I definitely find myself rusty at times such that I have to inject mandarin here and there. I also forgot lots of idioms.

I was last here in 2019 summer. I want to explore the change here too. So far I see my parents neighborhood are a lot more developed. I asked the breakfast place how is their business. The wife said it is still rough even though life has been normal for a while. I know from multiple friends that the economy is very bad and college students are having a hard time finding a job.

 

[Perris]

are the different dialects mutually understandable if not expressible, i.e. people can understand what each other are saying (more or less) but can't speak it, like the Swedes and Norwegians and Danes?

 

[lightm]

are the different dialects mutually understandable if not expressible, i.e. people can understand what each other are saying (more or less) but can't speak it, like the Swedes and Norwegians and Danes?

In general no. It varies. Some dialects are easier to understand because it is closer to mandarin. Another example is I personally understand Shanghai dialect better because it is closer to my dialect.

 

[LhickenChicken]

Went to my breakfast place. Happy to see the owners again. They are a couple.View attachment 3533078

Literally street food.
View attachment 3533081
View attachment 3533080

I had pork dumplings (left, wrapped in a soup dumpling fashion), and wonton soup with seaweed.

Vinegar for dipping. It was delicious!!! Really hit the spot.


Random picture of cars parked on the street. The neighborhood was not built for cars.
View attachment 3533076

Now I wish I could read Chinese... What on earth does it say on the sign and on the propane (I think it's propane?) tanks?

 

[LhickenChicken]

are the different dialects mutually understandable if not expressible, i.e. people can understand what each other are saying (more or less) but can't speak it, like the Swedes and Norwegians and Danes?

I don't think in China... But Russians speak Russian, and (if I am remembering this correctly--I haven't visited Russia in a long time and I don't really remember all that well) Belarus or some kind of country (or it could be Ukraine) speak in a language close to Russian, so that we can understand them but can't speak it.
I know kind of weird

 

[lightm]

I haven't been able to connect to VPN until now.

Yesterday I went to see my uncle, who is like my other father. We are very close as my parents lived with my uncle and aunt until i was 4th grade. We also really like each other.

At the bus stop. I like that it tells me how far away each bus is.

On the bus. Apparently you are still required to wear a mask but most people don't do it.

 

[lightm]

Now I wish I could read Chinese... What on earth does it say on the sign and on the propane (I think it's propane?) tanks?

Yes it is propane tank. On the propane tank it says propane . Below I think it says the company name.

The big sign on the right says that they are selling Yangberries. There is a picture of the berries there. The fresh ones are very regional and not grown in other parts of China.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrica_rubra

 

[notabitail]

I haven't been able to connect to VPN until now.

Yesterday I went to see my uncle, who is like my other father. We are very close as my parents lived with my uncle and aunt until i was 4th grade. We also really like each other.

At the bus stop. I like that it tells me how far away each bus is.
View attachment 3534525

On the bus. Apparently you are still required to wear a mask but most people don't do it.
View attachment 3534526

I think nobody really cares about masking their faces. Covid is pretty done now.
I like those bus stops better than the ones here.