Chinese Language Blog

Even on the Shanghai Subway, it’s a struggle just to get on (上车) and off (下车) a train before a wall of people or those sliding doors say: 不可以！

As you can see from the video, riding the subway is often chaotic and hectic. It’s not the kind of place you want to be running around confused and lost. With all those people pushing and shoving, even if you know where you are and what stop you need to take, getting through the throngs of people may prove to be quite difficult. You need to know how to navigate the masses without starting an incident.

After giving you a background on riding the subway, I thought it’d be helpful to go over specific vocabulary or 生词 and phrases commonly used when taking the underground. These are common phrases that people utter every day on the subway and cannot be mistook for another meaning. Practice them and then try them out at a local station:

地铁 or (dì tiě) means subway.

地铁站 or (dì tiě zhàn) means subway station or stop.

下／上 车 or (xià／shàng chē) means to get off/on the subway cart.

请坐 or (qǐng zuò) means “please sit” or is a polite way of saying “take your seat”. I use this phrase when offering a seat to an elderly or handicapped person or a child.

注意安全 0r (zhù yì ān quán) means “please pay attention to safety” or “be careful”. This is a helpful phrase to say when people are overly shoving and pushing when getting on or off a train.

出口 or (chū kǒu) means exit. Look for this sign when you need to escape the subway!

入口 or (rù kǒu) means entrance. Look for this sign when you want to enter the subway.

线 or (xiàn) means line/train route. The lines of trains are numbered or represented with an alphabetical letter. You can simply ask people, “这个车是哪先？” or “What line is this train”.

转车 or (zhuǎnchē) means to change trains/transfer. Over the speakers, announcements will say “change for the [13] line here” 这站转车”

地铁票 or (dì tiě piào) means subway ticket. You can buy them at any automatic (with English) machine or from a subway teller. Tickets are simply inserted into turnstiles to enter and exit a train.

到了 or (dào le) means to “have arrived” or reached your location. When you here something something… 到了, it means the train has either arrived at it’s destination or a train is pulling into the station currently.

Now that you’ve studied these new vocab words, put them to use in a subway setting.

When you live in the concrete jungle (AKA Beijing), it’s absolutely necessary to get out once in a while for a good day trip (一日游 – yī rì yóu). Luckily, for us Beijingers (北京人 – běi jīng rén), the options for easy, fun trips out of the city are abundant. As an avid hiker/adventurer, I do my best to get out of the city smog every chance I can to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery of the greater Beijing municipality. In a new series of posts on the blog, I will introduce you to some of the better day trip options from Beijing. To kick things off, we’ll look at the Shangfangshan National Forest Park (上方山国家森林公园 – shàng fāng shān guó jiā sēn lín gōng yuán). Located just 70 km from Beijing, this scenic spot boasts a peak that is 860 meters (2,820 feet) high, with plenty of interesting stops along the way up and down. The park is known for its ancient trees, exotic plants, and many Buddhist shrines. Hiking up the hill on a hot Spring afternoon, we worked up a sweat, chatted with locals, and enjoyed the stunning scenery – a nice respite from the skyscrapers and traffic jams of Beijing. Best of all, hikers are rewarded at the end of the hike with a journey into the cool, dark Cloud Water Cave (云水洞 – yún shuǐ dòng), which features the usual cave fare of stalactites and stalagmites along with neon-lit Buddha statues (it is standard fare in China to illuminate anything and everything in neon). All in all, this trip provides a great relief from the stresses of big-city life in Beijing, with hiking, nature, animals, fun interactions with locals, and a kick-ass cave at the end to top it all off. In case you are too far away from China for this to be a viable day-trip option, here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

You know, they say time flies when you’re having fun. Well, the last year has gone by in a flash, and I’ve had tons of fun writing and producing videos for Transparent Chinese in that time. Throughout the past year, the blog has seen videos about many different aspects of life in China: festivals, traveling, culture, food, and so much more. A complete list of videos can be found HERE, on our YouTube page. If you’re relatively new to the Chinese blog, and you haven’t been following my video posts over the past year, here are a few of my personal favorites for you to get started with.

A Rainy Day in Beijing

This is the first video I posted to the Chinese blog, and it includes a trip to the Planning and Exhibition Hall in Beijing on a rainy day. Here, you can check out a miniature model of the entire city of Beijing.

It’s So Stupendous, Riding the Beijing Tube

Ever wondered what it’s like riding the busiest subway line in Beijing at rush hour? Well, wonder no more!

Wang Fu Jing Night Market (王府井夜市)

One of the most popular tourist destinations in all of China, Wang Fu Jing features plenty of shopping, and even more eating. Stroll along the Night Market, and check out some interesting snacks, such as silkworms, ostrich, and scorpions.

Taste of a Mule

Speaking of interesting snacks, one of Beijing’s favorite treats is the 驴肉火烧 (donkey meat sandwich). Delicious and cheap, this delicacy makes for a great lunch.

Santa Con Beijing

What happens when 100 Santa Clauses invade China’s capital city? Find out in this short highlight video of the annual Santa Con extravaganza that takes over Beijing every December.

Chinese Valentine’s Day/Night of Sevens Festival (七夕节)

Learn about the history of this ancient Chinese festival, which is celebrated in a fashion similar to Valentine’s Day in the West these days.

From Jiankou Great Wall to Mutianyu

Hike from the old, unrestored Great Wall at Jiankou to the modern, tourist-friendly section of Mutianyu.

Beijing Roast Duck (北京烤鸭)

China’s most famous dish, the Beijing roast duck was a favorite amongst Chinese royalty in the past, and remains one of the most popular dishes in the entire country to this very day. In this video, pay a visit to Beijing’s finest kao ya dian, Da Dong.

Harbin

The capital city of the northeast province of Helongjiang (黑龙江), Harbin (哈尔滨) is icy cold in the wintertime. Thanks to its below freezing temperatures, the city plays host to an Ice and Snow Festival every year. In this two part series, join me on a visit to both the ice and snow parks, as well as the tiger park on the outskirts of the city.

Summer Activities

Summertime is tons of fun in Beijing, as you will realize in this short video highlighting some of the more fun activities that can be enjoyed during the warmer months.

There you have it… my Top 10 of the Transparent Chinese videos over the past year. Thanks to all of our readers for your continued support, and I hope you’ll all enjoy the posts and videos in the next year even more!