rivercao Posted August 7, 2010 at 10:40 AM Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 at 10:40 AM A part of the Grand First Episode Project -- See this thread for more info. I just finished watching, it’s a wonderful TV show about a story happened between late Qing dynasty and 民国（don’t know how to translate it in English）, It shows the unrest situation in the semifeudal and semicolonial country from a Teahouse’s view. The script is written by one of the best Chinese writers Lao She(老舍), he is famous for his language, which is characterized by live and humor. Although it reveals the darkness of the old society and is very critical and satiric, it is very humorous and funny, because the language is outstanding with Beijing characteristics. Online watching is available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ-a7f8zJd4 Summary This is one of the famous dramas by Lao She. The drama is set in a typical, old Beijing teahouse and follows the lives of the owner and his customers through three stages in modern Chinese history. The play spans fifty years and has a cast of over sixty characters drawn from all levels of society. Brought together in Yutai Teahouse, they reflect the changes that took place in Chinese society. The strength and appeal of the play lie in part in Lao She's masterful recreation of the characters and language of the streets of old Beijing, but the center of its strength is Lao She's vision, his unerring choice of significant detail, and his familiarity with the old society he is describing, with its strengths, weaknesses, and ironies. It is this which carries "Teahouse" beyond the borders of social criticism and makes it a complex and living work of art. Written in 1957, "Teahouse" bids an inspired, lingering farewell to old Beijing and the old society, despite their evils and ills, and extends a passionate welcome to the new society with its promise of freedom and equality of the people. Standing as it does between old and new China, and deeply rooted in both, "Teahouse" shimmers with a fine sense of ambivalence. True to its writer, to China, and to its time, it is a masterpiece of modern theater. Link: http://www.flipkart.com/teahouse-book-9629961253 Vocabulary Some Beijing dialect could be very difficult for beginners, so I list some and give a brief explanation. 四九城：Beijing 得嘞：OK 溜达：go for a walk 官饷：salary paid by government 造化：good luck 太监：court eunch 咂摸: ponder 旗人：bannerman(the “Eight Banner” of the Man nationality in the Qing Dynasty, it represents dignity) 体面：decency 玩艺：thing 天庭: middle of the head 积德：do good deeds 算命：fortune-telling 八字：indicating the year,month,day and hour of one's birth,used formerly in fortune-telling 白面儿：heroin 耍嘴皮子：to talk glibly 开张：open a business 关张：close down 盅：handless small cup 嗻：yes(from low status to upper status，古) 大姑娘：virgin 阳历：solar calendar 算账：get even with sb 裹乱：make trouble 现大洋：silver-dollar 拉倒：forget about it 惹眼：conspicuous 逆产：betrayer’s property 蹭：gain something without giving expense 窝头：a kind of food made by corn 满汉全席：a kind of feast in Qing period 交情：friendship 矫情：be affectedly uncoventional 添堵：bring trouble 暴动：rebellion 阴间：hell 改良：reform 同党：accomplice 革命：revolution 擎好儿: please wait for the good news If you have any problem when watching this show, please reply in this thread.I personally highly recommend this show, I think this is the best show since 潜伏 and 亮剑, i can't help laughing from time to time when watching. The leading role, Wang Lifa, is a typical Chinese in old society,as a businessman,he is clever,but afraid of getting into trouble.He could cope with any emergency but never wanted to be involved in any revolution. Enjoy watching. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rivercao Posted August 7, 2010 at 11:11 AM Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 at 11:11 AM My favorite role is 唐铁嘴，a fortune-teller. The performance is phenomenal, the best I have ever watched. This guy is so funny, money-driven...Of course, he is a villain, but I love him. The performance of 庞太监 is great as well, so funny...overall, the actors in this show are all terrific, that's why I list it in my top 3 TV plays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rivercao Posted August 7, 2010 at 11:26 AM Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 at 11:26 AM script online reading: http://www.5156edu.com/html/7689/2.html It has three chapters in total, you can turn pages at the bottoms of each page of the website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
affix Posted August 9, 2010 at 01:21 PM Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 at 01:21 PM 民国, Republic of China Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renzhe Posted August 9, 2010 at 01:44 PM Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 at 01:44 PM Yes, 民国 is usually translated as "the republic", and typically refers to the time between the fall of the Qing and the civil war. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, fighting the Japanese, reforms, that stuff. I'm adding this to the episode project, since you did a great job of it, and having some 老舍 is always good. BTW, if you liked 亮剑, you might want to comment here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gleaves Posted February 24, 2011 at 05:45 PM Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 at 05:45 PM I've gone through two episodes of this and I think I am going to stick with it. So far, the characters and performances are both very strong. It's the kind of show where you get the feeling the actors are really having a good time playing their characters. The set is really brought to life and the banter moves along quickly. One question I have for rivercao or others - the play is just three acts, but the show is quite long (39 episodes). Do the two generally have the same characters/plot, or do they diverge quite a bit? I'll probably read the play after watching the show, but I was just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gleaves Posted March 18, 2011 at 02:53 PM Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 at 02:53 PM I'm through about 14 episodes of this and really enjoying it. There are plenty of tough parts, but there is also plenty of fairly standard conversations. The characters are great. My favorite moments are when the town charlatans are trying to pull a fast one on 王掌柜. Most of the time, I accept the fact that the parts of a Chinese show with foreigners are bad. Here, the show is good enough that the parts with foreigners are really cringe worthy. It would be a much better show if they just didn't have foreign actors, but instead treated them like Jaws, like some unseen threat. Maybe they could have an animatronic foreigner in the series finale. Probably be better than the foreign actors used thus far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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