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Traditional Residences

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IN THIS LESSON
ID: 0199 Upper Intermediate
In the north, you’ll find yourself in a maze of “hutongs.” In Shanghai it’s the “longtang.” In this podcast, we’ll open the regional door and lead you through the ChinesePod courtyard in a tale of two city abodes. You will learn about the styles of housing and streets in old China, and how to talk about them using Mandarin Chinese
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Detailed Vocabulary
Each lesson has it's unique vocabulary and will provide you with definitions and recordings so you can practice the pronunciation. You will also be able to grasp the core material of a lesson at a glance. Here we're showing you the Simplified Chinese version.
SIMPLIFIED PINYIN ENGLISH  
有味道 yǒuwèidào to have flavor
穿行 chuānxíng to go through
胡同 hútòng hutong (alley)
四合院 sìhéyuàn siheyuan (courtyard)
老北京真有味道骑着自行车穿行在胡同和四合院间特别能体会到北京的历史和人们的生活
lǎo 老Běijīng 北京zhēn 真yǒuwèidào 有味道qí 骑zhe 着zìxíngchē 自行车chuānxíng 穿行zài 在hútòng 胡同hé 和sìhéyuàn 四合院jiān 间tèbié 特别néng 能tǐhuìdào 体会到Běijīng 北京de 的lìshǐ 历史hé 和rénmen 人们de 的shēnghuó 生活
Old Beijing has such an alluring charm. You can really feel the city's history and how people live as you cycle through the hutong and siheyuan.
是啊每个城市都有特色民居它就像城市的脸你知道吗上海也有类似四合院的建筑叫石库门胡同在上海叫弄堂像北京的建筑一样别有韵味
shì 是ā 啊měige 每个chéngshì 城市dōu 都yǒu 有tèsè 特色mínjū 民居tā 它jiùxiàng 就像chéngshì 城市de 的liǎn 脸nǐ 你zhīdao 知道ma 吗Shànghǎi 上海yě 也yǒu 有lèisì 类似sìhéyuàn 四合院de 的jiànzhù 建筑jiào 叫shíkùmén 石库门hútòng 胡同zài 在Shànghǎi 上海jiào 叫lòngtáng 弄堂xiàng 像Běijīng 北京de 的jiànzhù 建筑yíyàng 一样bié yǒu yùnwèi 别有韵味
That’s true. Every city has its own distinct style of residence, which is like the face of the city. Do you know that Shanghai has its own version of the siheyuan, called shikumen. The hutong is known as a longtang there. They have their own unique beauty just like their counterparts in Beijing.
嗯我见过和你有一样的感觉不过四合院的起源比石库门早很多我看书上说四合院元朝就有了它之所以叫四合院是因为房屋是由东西南北四面包围呈口字形中间是花园大片的四合院中间的通道叫胡同唉你知道石库门的起源吗
ng4 嗯wǒ 我jiàn guo 见过hé 和nǐ 你yǒu 有yíyàng 一样de 的gǎnjué 感觉bùguò 不过sìhéyuàn 四合院de 的qǐyuán 起源bǐ 比shíkùmén 石库门zǎo 早hěn 很duō 多wǒ 我kàn 看shūshàng shuō 书上说sìhéyuàn 四合院Yuáncháo 元朝jiù 就yǒu le 有了tā 它zhīsuǒyǐ 之所以jiào 叫sìhéyuàn 四合院shì 是yīnwèi 因为fángwū 房屋shì 是yóu 由dōngxīnánběi 东西南北sìmiàn 四面bāowéi 包围chéng 呈kǒu zì xíng 口字形zhōngjiān 中间shì 是huāyuán 花园dàpiàn 大片de 的sìhéyuàn 四合院zhōngjiàn 中间de 的tōngdào 通道jiào 叫hútòng 胡同āi 唉nǐ 你zhīdao 知道shíkùmén 石库门de 的qǐyuán 起源ma 吗
Yes, I’ve seen those. I agree with you. Siheyuan have a much older origin than shikumen. According to a book that I read, they date back to the Yuan Dynasty. They got their name because the rooms are surrounded on four sides by walls, forming a square shape. The garden is in the center. The lanes running through blocks of siheyuan are called hutong. Do you know the origin of shikumen?
嗯我去上海的时候听过石库门出现于十九世纪中当时大批难民因为打仗逃难到上海租界里必须很多人挤在一所小房子里就形成了石库门这种两层楼的石质房屋家门里面有一个很小的花园叫天井石库门中间细长的街道叫弄堂以前北京和上海的大多数居民都住在这些传统民居里
ng4 嗯wǒ 我qù 去Shànghǎi 上海de 的shíhou 时候tīng guo 听过shíkùmén 石库门chūxiàn 出现yú 于shíjiǔ shìjì zhōng 十九世纪中dāngshí 当时dàpī 大批nànmín 难民yīnwèi 因为dǎzhàng 打仗táonàn 逃难dào 到Shànghǎi 上海zūjiè 租界lǐ 里bìxū 必须hěn duō rén 很多人jǐ 挤zài 在yī 一suǒ 所xiǎo fángzǐ 小房子lǐ 里jiù 就xíngchéng le 形成了shíkùmén 石库门zhèzhǒng 这种liǎng céng lóu 两层楼de 的shízhì 石质fángwū 房屋jiāmén 家门lǐmiàn 里面yǒu 有yī 一ge 个hěn 很xiǎo 小de 的huāyuán 花园jiào 叫tiānjǐng 天井shíkùmén 石库门zhōngjiān 中间xìcháng 细长de 的jiēdào 街道jiào 叫lòngtáng 弄堂yǐqián 以前Běijīng 北京hé 和Shànghǎi 上海de 的dàduōshù 大多数jūmín 居民dōu 都zhùzài 住在zhèxiē 这些chuántǒng 传统mínjū 民居lǐ 里
Yes, I heard about it when I was in Shanghai. Shikumen came into existence in the mid-19th century. There was an influx of war refugees fleeing to the concessions in Shanghai. They had to cram into small houses. Over time, these evolved into a type of two-story house made from stone known as shikumen. There is a tiny garden inside the house called a tianjing. The long narrow lanes between shikumen houses are known as longtang. Most of the people in Beijing and Shanghai used to live in these traditional residences.
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