How do you remember place-names?

[SherleenTu]

It'r always driving me crazy when trying to recognize some of them, 

For example, I can't tell the difference between Dong Si and DongSiShiTiao,I thought DongSi is the 4th and DongSiShiTiao is the 40th street 

I never treat it as a problem seriously until I lost my way yesterday and had to ask a stranger for help..

 

SO EMBARRASSING.......

 

 

but at very least I took some good photos :

so how do you guys do when remembering place-names? can someone introduce me some tricks?

[Lu]

I don't think I ever had trouble remembering street names, but names of people can be difficult. For that, it usually helps me to know the characters and perhaps come up with some kind of mnemonic if necessary.

 

In case of Dongsi etc, it may help to know that it's not 东_四十_条 (east 40th street) but 东四_十条 (Dongsi, street 10). Many street names in Beijing are pretty logical if you know the landmarks. Then you can easily figure out that 安定门内大街 is probably the street that goes from Andingmen towards the city center, and that when you come past Andingmen, the street will likely change names to 安定门外大街.

[ChTTay]

It sounds like a problem remembering the Chinese name and linking that, in your mind, to where the place is in the city.

 

Have you ever actually looked closely at a map? If you find an average tourist one with English names, just sit and study it for 20 minutes. Make a mental note of where stuff is that you're likely to visit, as well as the ring roads, any major landmarks.

 

You could also take a map with you. An easier option would be to find an APP for your phone. I use Baidu maps but it's all in Chinese.

[SherleenTu]

yea I tried Baidu Map but dunno how to switch it into english version..

[ChTTay]

Yes, as I said, it's all in Chinese. There isn't an English version.

 

I have friends that use apple maps but I found it to be not that helpful.

[JenniferW]

Google maps (which I use here in the UK) uses both pinyin and characters. I've had phases where I've used street names as a way of learning some more characters.

[ChTTay]

Google maps doesn't work for me here in BJ. Pretty much nothing "Google" works.

[SherleenTu]

hmm....so I'd better try to capture a native guy and let him guide me whenever I travel here

[roddy]

Sherleen, are you intending to learn to read Chinese, or are you just aiming to get around as best you can without the language? Makes quite a bit of difference to how you approach this. 

[ChTTay]

Paper map. No man needed

:-)

[Flickserve]

A paper map is your friend. As well as some reading skills of Chinese characters. This helps to cross check the pingyin names with the Chinese names. Having just been in Beijing for the first time, a paper map (which is accurate) is definitely better. Mine had the words of a train station the wrong way round.

Seriously, is there a fortieth street in Beijing? If not, there can only be one other way of interpreting it. No?

When I looked at the metromap, dongsi is a train station. Having looked at the other names on the metro, they don't follow the same naming system I.e. there is no dongjiu, nansi etc. So one of the issues might be being used to a North American style of street names with extensive numbers. I am used to street names having individual names.

Here is a trick I used in Hong Kong going around on the buses and trains. I would always try to relate the place name to its chinese characters and then repeat saying it. That helps hugely. It's even easier on the Beijing metro because they always announce the next station in Chinese. After a few times of going to the same station and repeating the names to myself (tones practice),the name gets ingrained.

[SherleenTu]

Thanks you guys for the advises!  I'll try bring a paper map next time when I go there.  

[imron]

You can buy paper maps (in English too) at many of the little newspaper/magazine stands throughout the city.

[anonymoose]

If you have a smartphone, then the app maps.me is good. You download the maps in advance, and use them offline.