In this edition: Extreme cycling in Tibet, solar panels made in Xinjiang, the subjective state of the Chinese economy, a Chinese man looks back on living in Europe and “Love Defense Wars” with a lovely couple from Anhui.
Cycling and camping in Tibet
Chinese adventurer 刘伟元 (Liú Wěiyuán) continues his bicycle journey through the mountains of Tibet. Conquering great heights, he captures the mountain scenery along the way and explores an abandoned village. At night, he finds shelter in an abandoned cowshed. While wolves howl outside, he cooks a large pot of rice and bacon on the wood stove left behind by the farmers.
Difficulty level: HSK 4 (southern dialect, sometimes speaks ‘r’ like ‘l’)
| 中文 | 拼音 | English |
|---|---|---|
| 小木屋 | xiǎo mù wū | small wooden cabin |
| 小木屋火灭掉了 | xiǎo mù wū huǒ miè diào le | the fire in the cabin went out |
| 取取暖 | qǔqǔ nuǎn | warm up a bit |
| 火给它浇灭了 | huǒ gěi tā jiāomiè le | the fire was put out (with water) |
| 这个信号塔是太阳能的 | zhè gè xìnhàotǎ shì tàiyángnéng de | this signal tower uses solar power |
| 露营 | lùyíng | camping |
| 房子是废弃的 | fángzi shì fèiqì de | the house is abandoned |
| 好诡异 | hǎo guǐyì | very strange / creepy |
| 想不明白 | xiǎng bù míngbái | can’t figure it out |
| 来一罐八宝粥啊 | lái yí guàn bābǎozhōu a | let’s have a can of eight-treasure porridge |
| 吃饱了才有力气爬上去 | chī bǎo le cái yǒu lì qi pá shàng qù | only after eating can we have the strength to climb up |
| 羽绒服 | yǔróngfú | down jacket |
| 风景如画 | fēngjǐng rúhuà | scenery like a painting |
| 高反 | gāofǎn | altitude sickness |
| 满满一锅 | mǎn mǎn yì guō | a pot full |
| 累惨了 | lèi cǎn le | extremely tired |
Chinese summary: 中国探险者刘伟元继续在西藏骑自行车旅行。他翻过很高的山，一路拍下美丽的山景，还去看了一座没人住的村庄。晚上，他住在一间废弃的牛棚里。外面有狼在叫，他用留下来的柴火炉煮了一大锅米饭和腊肉。
Xinjiang’s role in the global solar industry
China has quietly become the powerhouse of the global solar industry. Today, the country produces more than 80% of the world’s solar cells, and over half of the most critical raw material behind them – polysilicon (多晶硅 – duō jīng guī) – comes from one place: Xinjiang. How did China outperform so many US and European manufacturers? This video provides some answers.
Difficulty level: HSK 6
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 太阳能电池 | tài yáng néng diàn chí | solar cell / solar battery |
| 光伏企业 | guāng fú qǐ yè | photovoltaic enterprise / solar power company |
| 生产线 | shēng chǎn xiàn | production line |
| 补贴市场 | bǔ tiē shì chǎng | subsidized market |
| 绿色能源 | lǜ sè néng yuán | green energy / renewable energy |
| 能源宝库 | néng yuán bǎo kù | energy treasure trove / rich energy reserve |
| 煤炭 | méi tàn | coal |
| 多晶硅 | duō jīng guī | polysilicon |
| 可再生能源 | kě zài shēng néng yuán | renewable energy |
| 清洁能源 | qīng jié néng yuán | clean energy |
| 光伏发电 | guāng fú fā diàn | photovoltaic power generation |
| 风力发电 | fēng lì fā diàn | wind power generation |
| 发电厂 | fā diàn chǎng | power plant |
| 能源转型 | néng yuán zhuǎn xíng | energy transition |
| 碳排放 | tàn pái fàng | carbon emissions |
| 减排目标 | jiǎn pái mù biāo | emission-reduction target |
| 储能技术 | chǔ néng jì shù | energy storage technology |
| 电网 | diàn wǎng | power grid |
Chinese summary: 这段视频介绍了中国为什么能在太阳能电池（tàiyángnéng diànchí）生产方面取得成功。中国现在几乎控制了全球的生产链（shēngchǎn liàn）。视频中提到，这主要是因为中国拥有充足的原材料（yuáncáiliào），比如多晶硅（duōjīngguī）和煤炭（méitàn），同时也有支持产业发展的产业政策（chǎnyè zhèngcè）。因此，中国在全球绿色转型（lǜsè zhuǎnxíng）中起着重要作用。此外，中国也在积极发展太阳能（tàiyángnéng）和风能（fēngnéng），从而生产更多的清洁能源（qīngjié néngyuán）。
How do Chinese feel about their economy in late 2025? – Chinese Street Interview
In this street interview, Eileen tries to find out how the average Chinese person views the state of the Chinese economy. Most answers aren’t very positive. People complain about how difficult it is to find good jobs. People complain about long working hours and unpaid overtime. It seems as if only people with good jobs in industries where China is strong are more positive. Lots of useful and interesting vocabulary to study.
Difficulty level: HSK 5 / 6
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 经济大环境 | jīng jì dà huán jìng | the overall economic environment |
| 现在找工作面了好多，只有一个offer | xiàn zài zhǎo gōng zuò miàn le hǎo duō, zhǐ yǒu yí gè offer | I’ve interviewed a lot while job hunting, but only got one offer |
| 经济的不好体现在我的工资太低上 | jīng jì de bù hǎo tǐ xiàn zài wǒ de gōng zī tài dī shàng | the bad economy shows in how low my salary is |
| 消费降级 | xiāo fèi jiàng jí | consumption downgrade / cutting back on spending |
| 天然的一个感触 | tiān rán de yí gè gǎn chù | a natural feeling / something you feel instinctively |
| 各行各业 | gè háng gè yè | all walks of life / every industry |
| 批发行业 | pī fā háng yè | the wholesale industry |
| 生意在变差 | shēng yì zài biàn chà | business is getting worse |
| 跑外卖过度一下日子 | pǎo wài mài guò dù yí xià rì zi | doing food delivery to get by for a while |
| 岗位少，抢的人多 | gǎng wèi shǎo, qiǎng de rén duō | few positions, many people competing |
| 制造成本没有变化 | zhì zào chéng běn méi yǒu biàn huà | manufacturing costs haven’t changed |
| 吐槽特朗普 | tǔ cáo Tèlǎngpǔ | complaining about / ranting about Trump |
| 对我们的用户不利 | duì wǒ men de yòng hù bù lì | unfavorable to our users |
| 你是从事什么行业的？ | nǐ shì cóng shì shén me háng yè de? | what industry do you work in? |
| 我可能做三个人的工作，但是拿的是一个人的工资 | wǒ kě néng zuò sān gè rén de gōng zuò, dàn shì ná de shì yí gè rén de gōng zī | I’m probably doing the work of three people, but getting paid like one |
| 时长就零零七 | shí cháng jiù líng líng qī | the duration is just 007 (very short / barely any time) |
| 福利待遇 | fú lì dài yù | benefits and compensation |
| 还房贷 | huán fáng dài | paying off a mortgage |
| 硬着头皮做 | yìng zhe tóu pí zuò | forcing oneself to do it / gritting one’s teeth and pushing through |
| 房贷占了你工资的多少 | fáng dài zhàn le nǐ gōng zī de duō shǎo | how much of your salary goes to your mortgage? |
| 老员工裁掉 | lǎo yuán gōng cái diào | laying off long-term / senior employees |
Chinese summary: 在这段视频中，Eileen 在街头采访路人，询问他们如何看待中国当前的经济大环境。受访者分享了自己对经济形势的看法和个人观察。
Why this Chinese man left Europe after 20 years – interview
This Mandarin Corner video features Eileen interviewing Bruce, a Shanghainese man who lived in the Netherlands and Germany for over 20 years, about his experiences in Europe and cultural differences with China. Bruce explains that he mostly stayed within Chinese social circles and had little contact with Dutch or German people, which shapes his limited sense of connection to local society. While some of his views strike me as oversimplified, I do think his experiences fit in a larger picture and are shared (to some extent) by other overseas Chinese, who live in Europe yet are seldomly heard or seen.
Difficulty level: HSK 4-5
| Chinese | Pinyin | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 学费补贴 | xuéfèi bǔtiē | tuition subsidy / tuition allowance |
| 高技术移民 | gāo jìshù yímín | highly skilled migrant |
| 分公司 | fēn gōngsī | branch company / subsidiary |
| 申请入籍 | shēnqǐng rùjí | apply for naturalization / citizenship |
| 德国人比荷兰人冷漠 | Déguórén bǐ Hélánrén lěngmò | Germans are colder than the Dutch (not the author’s view) |
| 难相处 | nán xiāngchǔ | hard to get along with |
| 觉得自己更了不起 | juéde zìjǐ gèng liǎo bù qǐ | think oneself is more impressive / feel superior |
| 歧视 | qíshì | discrimination |
| 上海人歧视外地人 | Shànghǎi rén qíshì wàidì rén | Shanghainese discriminate against people from other regions |
| 比较低调的人 | bǐjiào dīdiào de rén | a relatively low-key / modest person |
| 我比较宅 | wǒ bǐjiào zhái | I’m quite introverted / I like staying home |
| 文化冲击 | wénhuà chōngjí | culture shock |
| 荷兰人很直接 | Hélán rén hěn zhíjiē | Dutch people are very direct |
| 顾及别人的感受 | gùjí biérén de gǎnshòu | consider other people’s feelings |
| 抠门儿 | kōuménr | stingy / tight with money |
| 顺其自然 | shùn qí zìrán | go with the flow / let things take their course |
| 计较 | jìjiào | to fuss over / to be calculative |
| 天气不稳定 | tiānqì bù wěndìng | the weather is unstable |
| 欧洲开始落后 | Ōuzhōu kāishǐ luòhòu | Europe is starting to fall behind |
| 称呼名字 | chēnghu míngzì | address by name |
| 比较佛系 | bǐjiào fóxì | relatively laid-back / chill / “zen” attitude |
| 内耗 | nèihào | internal friction / mental struggle / energy drain |
Chinese summary: 这段 YouTube 视频里，Eileen 采访了在荷兰和德国生活 20 多年的上海人 Bruce。他讲了自己在欧洲的经历和中欧文化的不同。Bruce 说他大多在华人圈子里，很少和荷兰人接触，所以对当地社会的感觉不多。
《爱情保卫战》- the most horrible mother?
Regular readers of this blog know that I am a big fan of Aiqing Baowei Zhan. Not only because of the vulgar arguments between married couples that are presented as a kind of entertainment – and even education – for the masses, but also because the format is extremely useful for practicing Chinese listening skills, understanding Chinese culture, and more. This is mainly due to the heated on-stage disputes, where the two participants have to defend themselves in front of the audience and the panel, while hurling accusations back and forth at such a furious pace that you start to wonder whether simply taking part in the program hasn’t already sealed the end of the relationship, rather than helping to resolve anything.
The episode in question is not new, but it is one of the most-watched editions ever. It is not always clear who is at fault and needs to change their behavior – sometimes people are simply not very compatible and fail to bring out the best in each other – but in this case, the woman appears to be the more problematic one. Her impulsive shopping habits, her failure as a housewife, and not least her tyrannical attitude toward her own children’s school performance disqualify her on multiple levels. This even pushes the usually impartial host out of his neutral role and makes her husband appear as a model of common sense.
By the way, the dialect spoken by the woman is very interesting. Besides the local accent, the real challenge lies in the speed and the rapidly changing topics, which I actually consider a strength of both the format and the host – he never lingers too long on any one issue. Definitely worth watching, and if you like it, you won’t run out of episodes anytime soon, because the program has been around for a very long time.
Difficulty level: HSK 5 (Anhui-dialect increases difficulty)
| 中文 | 拼音 | English |
|---|---|---|
| 买奶粉 | mǎi nǎi fěn | buy baby formula / milk powder |
| 住宾馆 | zhù bīn guǎn | stay in a hotel |
| 不诚信 | bù chéng xìn | dishonest / lacking integrity |
| 难道你用每个锅热出来的外卖味道不一样吗？ | nán dào nǐ yòng měi gè guō rè chū lái de wài mài wèi dào bù yí yàng ma? | Do you really think takeout tastes different when reheated in different pots? |
| 花点钱买个锅也不算什么呀 | huā diǎn qián mǎi gè guō yě bù suàn shén me ya | Spending a little money to buy a pot is not a big deal |
| 我花的钱就是为了省钱 | wǒ huā de qián jiù shì wèi le shěng qián | I spend money in order to save money |
| 复婚 | fù hūn | remarry (after divorce) |
| 你凭什么叫孩子游泳啊 | nǐ píng shén me jiào hái zi yóu yǒng a | Who are you to make the child go swimming? |
| 谁提的离婚？ | shéi tí de lí hūn? | Who asked for the divorce? |
| 你一点社会经验都没有 | nǐ yì diǎn shè huì jīng yàn dōu méi yǒu | You have no social experience at all |
| 攀比 | pān bǐ | compare oneself with others (competitively) |
| 家庭观念 | jiā tíng guān niàn | sense of family values |
| 苛责孩子 | kē zé hái zi | be overly harsh toward children |
Chinese summary: 安徽一对夫妻来参加《爱情保卫战》节目，因为女方想离婚。她对丈夫不满意的主要原因是他们的家庭观念不同，比如在孩子教育、家务分工、为家庭花钱以及消费习惯等方面。不过，女方说得越多，反而越显示出她自己的态度也存在问题。
I hope you enjoyed this final edition from this year. 新年快乐，万事如意! More to come in the next!
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