tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post6117985676776557050..comments2023-12-04T10:02:29.445-06:00Comments on Mark's China Blog: Watching the Chinese Soap Opera -《蜗居》"Dwelling Narrowness"Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967364257656897151noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-38481572062991523302011-12-14T08:57:38.688-06:002011-12-14T08:57:38.688-06:00Mark, I have started, since the summer, to learn M...Mark, I have started, since the summer, to learn Mandarin. It is a slow process and a friend saw from another site that it would take 10 years to be fully fluent. Of course, ten years are going to pass anyway so why not? I am enjoying your blog very much. Thank you for sharing. I watch soaps in Mandarin and it does help.Yolihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06068063513978782703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-83675757012648679022010-05-03T19:23:29.613-05:002010-05-03T19:23:29.613-05:00@Ramesh - Thanks for that info. As much as Manhatt...@Ramesh - Thanks for that info. As much as Manhattan... good God. What about Bangalore? I remember Thomas Friedman going on and on about it in "World is Flat." I have to imagine it is up there.<br /><br />@Hopfrog - There is something about China and the media. Maybe it has something to do with them being "evil commies." I don't know.<br /><br />Am I right that China's leadership "gets" economic development better than India (or something like that)?<br /><br />Also, isn't India still much poorer than China? I've heard from travelers in China that the poverty you see in India dwarfs anything in China. Again, I haven't been to India and haven't experienced that, but was the word on the streets in hostels in China.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967364257656897151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-38953529184690387782010-05-03T06:52:40.771-05:002010-05-03T06:52:40.771-05:00I'm surprised India is not getting the same at...I'm surprised India is not getting the same attention that China is with regards to its changes and economic growth. The two countries seem to be on pretty parallel paths, albeit with major and minor differences.<br /><br />Here is the opening paragraph from the CIA Factbook's economic section on India: "India is developing into an open-market economy, yet traces of its past autarkic policies remain. Economic liberalization, including reduced controls on foreign trade and investment, began in the early 1990s and has served to accelerate the country's growth, which has averaged more than 7% since 1997"<br /><br />Warren Buffet this week spoke about the dynamic economies of both India and China that were, he predicts, have a major impact. But all the headlines in the papers that I read went along the lines of "Buffet predicts China's economic dominance".<br /><br />I suppose after Discovery and History channel run out of things to talk about with China, we might be hearing all about "India Rises".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-59831597967986110052010-05-03T02:42:09.829-05:002010-05-03T02:42:09.829-05:00Mumbai and Delhi are worse then Shanghai and Beiji...Mumbai and Delhi are worse then Shanghai and Beijing. For a tiny apartment in an awful building in the midst of the smoke belching traffic in Mumbai, you'd pay something that would be comparable to Manhattan. Prices are crazy in Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok let along Hong Kong or Tokyo were they have basically become insane.Rameshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11782192840421019943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-9048476552905846912010-05-01T18:59:57.678-05:002010-05-01T18:59:57.678-05:00LOL, thats funny, my wife basically said the same ...LOL, thats funny, my wife basically said the same thing as yours. That as disturbing as the show can be, it only scratches the surface.<br /><br />At least you could watch it, I would have picked up about 1/10th. Arghhh, I need to spend more time working on my Chinese. I find I am always looking for excuses to blow it off. I think thats another great reason to try and learn through an interesting show, your more likely to actually practice and look up words.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-66539441005884395062010-05-01T17:39:05.737-05:002010-05-01T17:39:05.737-05:00@Ramesh - Which cities in India have the most heat...@Ramesh - Which cities in India have the most heated real estate markets?<br /><br />@Hopfrog - That's interesting that your wife and I came to the same conclusions. Makes me feel very Chinese!<br /><br />I suppose Qian helped me form my views. She's certainly coming about it from the same perspective as your wife. And she was integral for my viewing of the show.<br /><br />Qian said that the show only showed 1/100th of what really goes on on the darker side of things (particularly with the stuff on the municipal government), but that that is more than most shows do.<br /><br />Before this show, I've never really watched Chinese TV. I should've been. Ben is right. It is a good way to practice/study.<br /><br />The other day I talked with Qian's mom on Skype for a couple minutes. We talked about a range of different stuff. She said that my Chinese sounded a lot better than the last time I talked with her a few weeks earlier.<br /><br />Just hearing the people talk gets my more in the mode of speaking Chinese (let alone helping my pronunciation). Qian and I have been talking way more Chinese recently after the show started.<br /><br />I still didn't understand a lot of the show. That sucks. But my vocab and overall language skills just aren't there.<br /><br />Oh well, I still had a blast watching Wo Ju. It did a lot for me in language practice, cultural understanding (to some degree), and entertainment.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967364257656897151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-12873042681526701362010-04-30T07:37:00.943-05:002010-04-30T07:37:00.943-05:00My wife watches chinese soap operas constantly and...My wife watches chinese soap operas constantly and I showed her the photo on your blog before I got a chance to read your entry. I then got a 10 minute summary of the show and her opinions and then I read your entry and was struck by something.<br /><br />She had the same observations you did and the plot points that stuck in her memory were the same ones that you summarized. She made the point that this was practically a reality show and that the truth is sometimes too painful in the "harmonious" society and thats why it was banned. In fact, she stated that your observations are in fact accurate and not just anecdotal.<br /><br />I still have to get through the basic vocabulary, but after reading Ben's recommendation, watching Chinese shows as a way to learn Chinese is on my to do list. The main benefit to me is learning how conversations flow casually, even if it is soap opera talk.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-25926873263328534622010-04-30T01:49:18.641-05:002010-04-30T01:49:18.641-05:00Very nice review. Alas, I have to study Chinese fo...Very nice review. Alas, I have to study Chinese for the next 10 years to even match your understanding of half the dialogue :(<br /><br />But can relate very much to the themes you have mentioned. The property situation is truly crazy and you see this in much of Asia; not just China. But the one thing that has really struck me (again, like you only anecdotally), is how acceptable it seems to be to have mistresses outside of marriage.Rameshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11782192840421019943noreply@blogger.com