M: Péngyǒumen, nǐmen hǎo! Huānyíng nǐmen dào Xiànzài Xué Hànyǔ. Wǒ shì ManLi.
S: Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Stuart. Today it’s a 复习课 revision lesson，fùxí kè. We’re at the Summer Palace. Wǒmen zài Yíhéyuán.
M. Where shall we take photos? 我们在哪儿照相 Wǒmen zài nǎr zhàoxiàng?
S: 这里好 Zhèlǐ hǎo.
M. 但是，那边更好 Dàn shì, nà biān gèng hǎo.
S. 我觉得这里更好 Wǒ juéde zhèlǐ gèng hǎo.
M. 我认为，那边比这里好 Wǒ rènwéi, nà biān bǐ zhèlǐ hǎo.
S: 不对。这里好 Bú duì, zhèlǐ hǎo
M: 我不同意，那边更好. Nà biān gèng hǎo.
S: I love these disagreements!
S: Now, do you remember how to say, ‘I’m better than him’?
M: Duìle. 我比他好 Wǒ bǐ tā hǎo.
S. And, ‘I’m faster than him’.
M. Méi cuò. 我比他快 Wǒ bǐ tā kuài.
S. And, ‘You’re taller than him?’
M. Right. 你比他高Nǐ bǐ tā gāo.
S. Now say ‘I’m taller than you’.
M: Duì le. 我比你高Wǒ bǐ nǐ gāo.
S: And, ‘but I reckon he’s the tallest’.
M: Hěnhǎo. 但是，我认为他是最高的 Dàn shì, wǒ rènwéi tā shì zuì gāo de.
S: And what does 我比你矮 Wǒ bǐ nǐ ǎi mean?.
M: Méicuò: I’m shorter than you.
S: And 我比你胖 Wǒ bǐ nǐ pàng.
M: Yes. I’m fatter than you, Wǒ bǐ nǐ pàng.
S: And how do you say, ‘He’s very short. He’s shorter than me.’?
M: Hěn hǎo. 他很矮。他比我矮。Tā hěn ǎi. Tā bǐ wǒ ǎi.
S: And, before we take a break, everybody say, ‘I’m very thin. You also are very thin. We are all very thin’.
M: Fēicháng hǎo. 我很瘦。你也很瘦。我们都很瘦。Wǒ hěn shòu. Nǐ yě hěn shòu. Wǒmen dōu hěn shòu.
S: Maybe we should also say, ‘we are all very clever’.
M: 我们都很聪明 Wǒmen dōu hěn cōngmíng.
S: 但是，我比曼丽更聪明。
M：Nonsense! 胡说八道 Hú shuō bā dào!
S: Now we’ve been joined by some friends, and we’re preparing to zhàoxiàng.
M: 李先生，你比我们高。You stand at the back. 你站在后面 Nǐ zhàn zài hòumiàn.
LXS: 好，我站在后面 Hǎo, wǒ zhàn zài hòumiàn.
S: 建国，你也站在后面 Nǐ yě zhàn zài hòumian.
M: Zhāng Xiǎojiě, Mǎlì, 我们站在前面 wǒmen zhàn zài qiánmian. Stuart, 你站在哪儿 nǐ zhàn zài nǎr?
S: 我来照相 wǒ lái zhào xiàng. Someone’s got to do it.
S: Where’s my camera? 我的照相机在哪儿 wǒde zhàoxiàngjī zài nǎr?
M: I don’t know. 我不知道 Wǒ bù zhīdào.
S: 天啊！我的照相机放在哪儿了？Word for word, ‘my camera put where?’ Wǒde zhàoxiàngjī fàng zài nǎrle?
M: We’ll find out next lesson. Zài jiàn.
(Source:english.cri.cn)
In the kitchen of the luxurious brand new ITT Sheraton Beijing International Club Executive Chef, Franz Dajcman prepares a seven course Emperor’s Dinner. As he deftly arranges the ingredients for Steamed John Dory Fillet on Beluga Champagne Cream, he discusses the migration of Western ingredients to the Asian kitchen: “For centuries cooks have been borrowing ingredients from other cultures. In Asia there is a true fusion where ingredients complement one another beautifully. European chefs working in Asia have a sure understanding of European ingredients and techniques and a palate that has been refined in Asia. They are creative but disciplined.” Out in the Great Hall the table is set and guests are invited to don Qing Dynasty costumes before being shown to the tables by waiters costumed as palace guards. Chef Dajcman’s New Asian cuisine features lobster sashimi, grilled Beef Medallion with Parma Ham and Goose Liver on a Light Truffle Red Wine Sauce, Polenta, and Fresh Mango and Chocolate Mousse.
Away from the broad boulevards of Beijing on the outskirts of the city hides one of the most exclusive restaurants in the world. It has one table. The Li Family Restaurant is run by mathematics professor Li Shan-lin whose grandfather was Minister of Household Affairs for the Imperial Court (his job was to oversee the official tasters for the dowager empress CiXi) and left him a legacy of recipes. His daughter, armed with these imperial recipes, won first place out of 3,000 contestants in a national cooking contest held in 1984. After that, Li Shan-lin decided to open a restaurant in his small home located down a narrow street in a hutong (a walled alley way community). Li Shan-lin cooks Mandarin fish in a recipe favored at the turn of the century by the dowager empress Cixi; he stir-fries it over the wood fire with ginger, garlic, scallions and garden herbs. He also stir-fries a sweet-and-sour fish with green peppers, bamboo shoots, ginger, vinegar and sugar. Li Shan-lin’s batterie de cuisine is limited to a small assortment of well-used woks, steamers, and standard pots with which he creates various wheat-flour dumplings filled with vegetables, pork, or shrimp, adding a bit of egg, minced ginger, and bamboo shoots. He also makes special dumplings and salads.