"汉语桥”我与中国第一次亲密接触 Chinese Bridge 2015 – My First Intimate Contact with China

[mandel1luke]

Recently there’s a rather interesting programme on China’s CCTV-4 called “汉语桥 2015”我与中国第一次亲密接触. (“Chinese Bridge 2015 – My First Intimate Contact with China”) Sixteen tertiary-level student participants from fifteen countries (two from America) were selected to experience Chinese culture and society firsthand. (All these students are currently studying in China.) The 12-episode series (still ongoing) [Edit: the series has ended its run.] started airing on 18 July 2015 and is hosted by Lu Jian (鲁健). The official website is here.

 

On the whole I find the series surprisingly entertaining. If you can take the never-ending effusions of how great Chinese culture is in the show you’d probably enjoy this if you are a Chinese-language learner. Obviously the participants’ language ability varies but the most impressive is American girl 于中美 whose spoken Mandarin is at native level (she studies dancing in Beijing). The Korean girl 郑霓瑟 is adorable and very funny (to me anyway) (watch out for the episode when a native Chinese speaker asked her not to 卖萌!)

 

Language difficulty level is probably Intermediate (with Chinese subtitles)

 

Most of the series is available on Youtube in HD:

 

Episode 1: (Going to school with rural pupils at 安龙县下箐村, Guizhou)

Episode 2: (Working as assistants at the world’s largest small commodity wholesale market at Yiwu, Zhejiang)

Episode 3: (Living with fishermen at 霞浦县东安村, Fujian)

Episode 4: (Creating an oasis at Ordos Desert 恩格贝, Inner Mongolia)

Episode 5: (No Youtube video) (Joining firemen in regimental lifestyle)

Episode 6: (Helping out techno “makers” 创客 at Shenzhen)

Episode 7: (Authenticating the role of foreigners during the Nanking massacre)

Episode 8: (No Youtube video) (Learning kung fu at 武当山, Hubei)

Episode 9: (Exploring ancient performance art form 老腔 at 华阴, Shaanxi)

Episode 10: (Learning Chinese cookery with chefs at Beijing)

Episode 11: (No Youtube video) (Exposing participants to five traditional Chinese handicrafts)

Episode 12: Yet to upload on Youtube (Helping out in different departments within a Chinese hospital.)

 

(For obvious reasons i.e. laziness I’m not going to link to Youku and other Chinese video sites.  )

 

[Edit: The 2015 series has ended its run. The programme will resume next year.]

Edited October 8, 2015 at 04:01 PM by mandel1luke

[JustinJJ]

I haven't watched that series, but I find the 汉语桥 shows really painful to watch. The show 世界青年说 is much better.

 

In the 汉语桥 shows they always seem to make the contestants do ridiculous things and they tend to be dressed to look really geeky, but in 世界青年说 the level of Chinese is much better so you won't find yourself cringing and they aren't made to do stupid things for entertainment etc.

[mandel1luke]

HiJustinJJ

 

This 汉语桥 - 我与中国第一次亲密接触 isn't the same old 汉语桥比赛 hosted by Hunan TV. 我与中国第一次亲密接触 is a reality TV show produced by CCTV-4. I'm not sure why they use the same name though.

 

As for 世界青年说 it sounds like an interesting show, but I haven't seen it.    Will keep a lookout for this programme in the future.

[JustinJJ]

You can find it on YouTube, worth checking out

[Demonic_Duck]

Watching this one: http://news.cntv.cn/2015/09/07/VIDE1441559157658210.shtml

 

Don't think I'd be too happy appearing on a show where my every mistake was pointed out by onscreen text and sound effects. I guess that's for the benefit of us learners?

 

Weird that they dubbed all of 爱丽娜's lines in a really obviously fake way, but dubbed them to make her sound like a halfwit.

 

Edit: Actually, I guess that's probably her speaking, and the reason she sounds like a halfwit is because she's reading from a prepared script.

[mandel1luke]

The participants sometimes speak in their native tongue when interviewed. I guess it's because they don't feel confortable speaking in Mandarin at all times. The participants then translate their lines into Chinese and dub over their original speech.

 

于中美 appears to have started learning Chinese as a child in China. She was born in Dalian.

 

 

I guess that's for the benefit of us learners?

 

I think so. They also give thumbs-up when an especially felicitous phrase or idiom is used.

[mandel1luke]

After watching the latest episode, I've not even sure this 汉语桥 is a Competition. Mistake on my part. I've made amendments to my first post.