CRI听力：Folk Beijing

The exploration of ancient and modern Beijing is not complete without a look at its profound folk culture, interesting customs and genuine local tones. Beijing is both old and young and attracts numerous visitors with its dazzling cultural artifacts such as its ubiquitous, narrow hutongs and its traditional siheyuan residences. As the 2008 Olympics draw near, Beijing has been cast in the spotlight.

-Tea shed

Old Beijingers gathering in the tea shed

To start with, let's talk about the tea shed at Shichahai Lake. Shichahai, the city's lake district, is an oasis within the bustling metropolis. With ample space and light, it is an area where people like to enjoy its natural charms. Every summer, when the lotus market in Shichahai opens to the public, people come to build the tea shed and sell tea to visitors, which is the main business here. The skills of the craftsmen who build the tea shed are unparalleled in the world. The tea shed is built with fir pole, bamboo and reed. A banner outside the tea shed bears its name. Tall tables and square stools fill the inside.

In the past, Beijingers liked to sit in the tea shed and discuss topics ranging from everyday life to government policy. It was a special treat to sip tea under the dim light of the tea shed, while enjoying the beautiful scenery on the lake and the occasional fragrance of the lotuses.

-Sedan chairs

Sedan chairs

Sedan chairs represent another cultural aspect of Beijing. Sedan chairs vary in style from simply constructed ones made of bamboo that are used for public hire to ornate models used by government officials and the wealthy. There are those used by government officials, which bear emblems of the occupant's rank on the outside.

Sedan chairs were traditionally used to carry a bride from her home to the location of the wedding ceremony. They also used to play an important role in Beijingers' lives in the past. When shops that rented sedan chairs became popular, many locals became sedan-chair carriers. These men were young and robust and could walk quickly and vigorously. But when they transported wealthy people, they had to slow their pace to show that their occupants were rich and ostentatious.

Bian Shichen is a 50-year-old Beijinger who grandfather owned a sedan-chair shop.

"I remember when I was young, my father told me that in my grandfather's shop, there were six sedan chairs decorated very luxuriously," he said. "The business was flourishing. People who came to hire a sedan chair were always businessmen or rich people. However, as rickshaws appeared, sedan chairs were gradually fell into disuse."

-Beijing dialect

Beijingers talking topics ranging from everyday life to government policy

Most people in Beijing have a common language--Mandarin Chinese. But those who have lived in the capital for generations have developed their own way of expressing themselves. This local accent has become part of traditional Beijing culture. You can easily tell the difference between a native Beijinger and a nonlocal from their tones.

Beijingers are arrogant, but easygoing, open-minded and conservative. Their tones always show laziness unintentionally. No matter in nursery rhymes or common conversation, the most common feature of the Beijing dialect is the usage of the word "er."

We are listening to an excerpt from Liu Yida's book. Liu Yida is a Beijing author. His writings describe the capital's past through the use of authentic Beijing dialects. From this excerpt, we can hear how typical Beijingers speak.

By presenting Beijing's folk culture and its way of life, visitors who come for the Olympics will have a chance to experience old Beijing.