Hello everyone! Does anyone in Southern China, From Shenzhen all the way to Laos border have any suggestions for a new year party? We plan on being in the South for new year, although we are flexible as its easy to travel anywhere in China
Strongly recommend Guangzhou, a well-known city for elaborate food--Dim Sum, as one of your tourist destination in South China. Also in CNY you will experience traditional flower market in GZ. It's a kind of celebration for CNY!❤❤ If time possible, I can show you around.
China does not ban religion. China implements a policy of freedom of religious belief, which means people have the freedom to believe in or not to believe in religion. it's all up to individuals.
Religion (not cults) is free to practice personally, it's just not incorporated into their governance of the country. 👍 The government is neutral & not partial to any particular religion - unlike many other countries. So for those countries that you have to swear to their favoured religious books in court, it may appear that China "ban" religions ! 😅
China does not allowed religions to govern the country. They have a very clear distinction between the separation of Religion and State. Not like in USA where politicians are forcing their religion on the people. Just the paper money said it all : “In GOD we trust.” And the pledge of allegiance “One Nation Under GOD” and just ONE GOD. NOT GODS. WHAT DOES IT TELL YOU--if you are Christian, you are good even if you kill people. God will forgive you. If you are none-Christian, you will go to HELL. Now that is Freedom of Religion to you in USA.
Free but surely disencouraged, which i think is reasonable in this modern and humanistic era considering some of the religious doctrines are a bit outdated, to say the least, it is the result of a non-democratic system, meaning churches don't sway votes. Is it good or bad? Not a simple question to answer.
Chinese is atheism. He believes everyone that is Chinese. What is everything? Confucius, Taoism, Buddhism, Muslim or Christian that is officially accepted.
You guys, ROCK! We love nothing more than to see our foreign friends genuinely enjoying themselves in China! The only way to enjoy China or any other countries is to leave our preconceived ideas and fears about the places that we choose to visit at the gates.
Ludicrous right? Imagine the blatant, horrible lies we've been told since young by our western education. Pure, physical hard facts shows that China never banned religion. If religion was ever banned in China, how'd we explain the existence of centuries old mosques, temples, churches and practices? It's sick how hate was implanted in us at the youngest age possible. Thanks for the wonderful video and do enjoy your time in China discovering what is real for yourselves. Cheers!
@@Montytian I'm open to that conversation. How is it controlled "tightly". The form of control I know of after I went to China is this, NO religion in politics, governance and law aka if you are a party member (which means you are in governance) you are required to renounce your religion. For normal citizens (yes, not everyone is a party member), you can practice it anyhow you like unless it subverts/go against morality, laws and decency i.e. telling religion member to throw themselves from high rises on the pretense their faith will help them to fly (actually happened). China's control over religion revolves around this premise: Religion is like a private part. Everyone has one and every thinks theirs is the best. Like private parts, don't swing it around in public stuffing it in everyone's face. Only enjoy it yourself and with those that are extremally close with you and wants to indulge. Don't bring it into politics because we don't want another Bill Clinton. So... yeah.... how tight is tight?
@@oneilchung exactly, CENTURIES old. They were built before communism. “you can practise anyhow”? Why than no services in churches and churches are converted into shops etc?
hey alan and shannon, i live in shenzhen and would be happy to show u guys around shenzhen, known as the silicon valley of China. Im personally fluent in english as i lived in vancouver for 14 years.
You guys with your lovely smiles and genuine respect for this beautiful country. I’m OBSESSED with watching you guys trying out fantastic new foods AND your lovely lovely accent! Hooked I am😂
Hello, welcome to Xi'an. You celebrated the New Year's Eve in 2024, and the Xi'an Bell Tower was truly unbeatable. It's been a long time since you saw such a scene. Xi'an is truly a beautiful and inclusive city, and also one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. Where did you go in Xi'an? I can't wait to watch your next video😊
Xi’an is our favourite so far as it was kept so much of the older architecture and scenery whilst also going forward and modernising with amazing metro systems and pretty buildings We actually spent so much time just wandering around and of course eating!
This sounds like a good choice. However, I have a point to remind you that it's very difficult to buy train and high-speed rail tickets, etc., in the early stages of the Spring Festival because the Spring Festival travel rush is the largest human migration on the planet, with nearly 1 billion people moving around. Trains, high-speed rail, airplanes, subways, and buses will be very busy. So please avoid going out during that time, book your tickets in advance to avoid a bad experience, and be prepared for long queues if necessary.
Fantastic video guys. Yes, Xian is also my favourite city in China, it's such a good mix of ancient and modern architecture right next to eachother - A bit like Edinburgh. I'm also so glad you guys got to see the Muslim Quarters - The media constantly tries to brainwash us about China. Keep up the great content. From your fellow Scot living in Hong Kong. 🏴🇭🇰🇨🇳
The guide is right in some sense that the southern dialect like Cantonese is incomprehensible to Northern Chinese but thanks to the tyrant Qin Emperor, he laid a decree that all languages or dialects when written had to be uniform so that even when one speak differently, but when the language is written, it becomes clearer. This also explains why China has a continuous civilisation for thousands of yrs. The written language make a large contribution.
The Qin Emperor (also the first emperor in China, the ones before didn't use the same term) is not a tyrant, many people used to say he is one, but he has definitely indispensable contribution to China. Not only the language used did he unify, but also the measuring and weighing units.
under the cultural influnce of sinosphere when China was the superpower in the east. the viets koreans & japanese all used to write in Chinese characters until China declined a hundred year ago losing control of vietnam & korea.. viets forced to switch to roman alphabet by their colonial french master..korea started replacing with their hangul alphabets officially after the korean war..and japanese using more of their other 2 alphabets with lesser use of full Chinese characters.
Xian is an ancient capital thousands of years ago. you can walk upstair to the upper floor of the fortress, check out the pagoda, and teracatta warriors
13:53, Expressed in Chinese as"道法自然"（Dao （Tao） Fa Ziran）。 There were many philosophical schools in ancient China. Laozi's Dao （Tao） is one of them. Laozi's philosophy held that there was an object that was chaotic, boundless, soundless, and integrated, and that existed long before the Chinese creation myth. It is unique, unique, will never change, but flow in all things will never stop, it can be as the world of all things and the universe as the fundamental. We didn't know what it was called, so used the word "Tao" as its name and reluctantly called it "Da". This" Big", is constantly moving, that is to say, it is everywhere, everywhere, through the ages, the eight wildernesses, reach the extreme distance （after the creation of all things） and return to the original nature. Because the Tao is so endless, both the creation of the universe, and make all things back to the Tao, so said a lot, and obey the Tao of Heaven, Earth, people are also very big. The universe has four"Big", and man is one of them. Man follows the law of the Earth, the Earth imitates the sky, the sky takes the Tao as the basis of operation, and the Tao comes naturally.
Couldn't agree more! I took an immediate liking to Alan & Shannon, I find them very pleasant and likable; among the best of China travel foodies I've seen yet. Have an open mind and you'll realize the sky's the limit. Keep up the great work, love it!
Really enjoyed your China series and I'm glad to hear that you will be spending Chinese New Year in the southern China. If you have Shenzhen on your itinerary, feel free to get in touch and I'd be happy to offer any help and advice I can. And as otherone mentioned before, hopefully you'll be avoiding the peak passenger times.
If you are going to be in China that long until around Chinese New Year (that's what I seem to gather), I suggest that you do most of the popular tourist destinations before the start of the week-long holiday where domestic tourists will be out in full force, cheeks to jowls. Then in that week smack into the chinese new year, then go off beaten paths less frequented by tourists, maybe smaller towns and cities. If you are going south (seems like you are), then Yunnan and Guangxi(absolutely many beautiful landscapes to explore) highly recommend, and the usual Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Gulanyu Island in Xiamen (also the Tulou). Since you have now already gone as far as Xi'an in Lanzhou, might as well go farther west to Qinghai, Xinjiang (more central asian/middle eastern like cuisines there) to experience something different.
It is a very culture city, very interesting... Didnt see much of the food adventure in this videos. The city wall is impressive. I cannot wait to see more clips from you guys. More locals joining will be good too, as the interaction is very interesting.
the couplets in front of doors in China represents the ideologies of a household or an establishment. it is usually about hoping for good life and good weather(very important for farmers), in this temple, it says, the way of universe is to follow the way of nature and study the truth about earth and heaven, the (eternal) justice and moral cultivates everything throughout history. this is a temple for a 7th century atheist who was very vocal against Buddhism.
I'm glad to hear that you are going to the cities in the south to visit the Chinese New Year. In fact, since the first few videos, I have been worried that your warm clothes may not be enough, especially a new round of cold wave may come in these days. If you want to visit beautiful places, I recommend Yunnan and Guangxi. If you want to visit places with heavy New Year flavors, Nanning( Guangxi), Foshan( Guangdong), Quanzhou( Fujian), and Haikou( Hainan) are all good. I hope it will be helpful to you.
It's so interesting to re-visit Xi'an through your perspectives, so different, but so interesting. and I really like your observations, in your own way. and your accent is unbeatable!
Xi'an is the ancient capital of China where China's First Emperor Qin Shi Huang/秦始皇 of the Qin Dynasty's throne sits. If you look at a map of China you will see Xi'an is precisely in the center of the country hence the Chinese meaning of 中国 (Zhōngguó) or Middle Country or the more commonly English translation Middle Kingdom pretty amazing that they could precisely pinpoint it in the center before satellites in 210BCE !
that was a tiger token or tally, two halves make a whole tiger. a general has one half, the emperor or king has the other half. when the king give command, his messenger would bring his half to the troop, and the general would verify the token to see if they fit. it combined （合）, they are the same (同)， which is the word "contract" in chinese, 合同。
I suggest this route: Shenzhen - Guangzhou - Guilin - via Kunming - Dali - Lijiang - via Xishuangbanna - Laos, but please be aware of busy traffic when travelling near Chinese new year. Tickets in some routes should be booked 15 days in advanced.
Thanks for the video! What an amazing experience you had in Xi'an! Xi'an is my hometown. Haven't been back for years. Watching your video makes me miss this great city a lot.
I'm in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.I'm happy to be your guide when you travel in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.Btw,I studied in Scotland(Stirling) 10 years ago.I love Scotland!
Hello, the Chinese translation you asked is like, "The Tao studies and follows the way the nature works; Moral leads everyone and everything from ancient times to now", just for your reference. As for dialects, Southern dialects are so different from each other. I can't understand the dialect about 200km away myself, let alone northern people.
Too bad it's so cold, when it's warm people go up the wall and rent a bike to ride around the whole thing which takes a while since it's so big. Also did you go to Datang Everbright City? Although it's more of a commercial tourist destination, you will see a lot of people dressed up in traditional chinese clothing walking around and there are performances every few steps.
I'm a Chinese student who has been studing in Italy for a year and half now, Italians do have some pretty nice food but what I miss the most about China is the street food
welcome to my hometown, as a local Xi'an citizen, I can told you religion absolutely not banned in China, we have 60,000 Muslim living in the food street area, we have The Great Mosque of Xi'an is one of the largest premodern mosques in China, the mosque was first built in the year 742 AD during the Tang dynasty, I highly recommend you to check it out, in Xi'an we have Church ～of course Buddhism is the most popular religious be cause of culture influence.
U guys should travel to harbin if u got enough time🎉given that harbin is the most popular destination this winter. The ice city is really out of this world!❤I dare say it's the best ice and snow festival in the whole world.
You Guys are Amazing, please catch up with ''The Hutchinsons'' they from UK also, wish I was with you, shannon you inspire so many of my younger family members
A bit to add to the dialects. Linguistically speaking (in the academic sense), Mandarin, Shanghainese, and Cantonese etc are classified as languages under the Chinese language family based on their low level of mutual intelligibility (~35% for Mandarin vs Cantonese according to one study) and historical development. Cantonese and Mandarin branched off of Middle Chinese (~12th century) historically and developed in parallel. However, the Chinese word 方言 (local speech) is assigned the English translation "dialect". This is also due to local languages not having a standard written form, thus "speech". Mandarin (or Guan Chinese) was and still is the lingua franca of all of China (and surrounding countries during some time in history). So technically, most literate Han Chinese (and ancient surrounding nations under Sino-influence) know 2 languages: their local language to speak and Standard Mandarin nowadays (and Classical Chinese before end of imperial China 1912) to write. This situation is sort of like Standard Arabic vs local dialects.
13:53 Follow Nature's Way (Dao Fa Zi Ran), meaning to follow the Tao, connects to the natural laws and principles of the universe as they permeate all things, including health, business, relationships, society, family, and all of life. Tao refers to the Source, the Creator, Oneness, and the Way of All Life. It was a name reluctantly given by Lao Zi after his observation of universe and nature, because no written words can accurately describe this phenomena.
Hey guys, GREAT video! I lived in Guangzhou but now temporarily work in Slough. Probably I won't recommend Guangzhou and Shenzhen since they are just the similar metropolises like Shanghai, unless you are interested in the traditional cantonese food 'Dim Sum'. If you want to see something more exotic, maybe go to Suzhou, Shaoxing and Lijiang to check those ancient towns. By the way, find a local to show you around could be good and help to avoid overpaying in there. Cheers!
Okay we will add those places onto our list! We want to see some nature also, we were hoping to get a boat trip all way down the Pearl River for a few days
13:50 I believe it's the southwest gate of Xi'an, It is a temple of Taoism. It says “道法自然参天地，德育万物贯古今” means "The law of Taoism refer to the nature, astronomy and geography, and its virtue nurtures all things through the ages."
i'm so glad you are enjoying your stay in Xi'an, I highly recommend biking on top of the city wall; it's an experience like no other because you can't get it anywhere else.
Awww miss u guys sooo much BUT love n so so proud of ur journey/fun and respect for all the countries u visit - cant wait for u to show me about when i visit u guys - plus love u finally like ice cream alan finally !!!! lol xx
4:37, such tiger-shaped plate was the sign for military orders in anchiet china, and not in original use today, but you can find its pattern in many other products besides ice cream, say public transportation card, a xi'an speciality, they also have imperial jade seal, very cool, or fridge magnet.
Xi An is the ancient capital of China, called Changan. Another one is Luo yang. These 2 cities are frequently switched among dynasties from Qin to Tang until Genghis Khan conquered China and make Beijing their capital in the 13th century. Since then, Beijing has been China's capital. Nanjing was the capital under the Nationalist but for a short no. of yrs.
come to Yunnan（ Lijiang, Dali, Shangri-La） Air ticket and hotels get more expensive after Jan. 20, when students start their holidays。 After February 4, air and train tickets will be hard to get and hotels will be very expensive
Something interesting.I try to translate the 14 characters outside door. It means“Principle follow the natural rule.morality bring up all things through ancient to now.”From 《tao teh ching》writen by Lao Tzu (571-471B.C) “道法自然循天地 德育万物贯古今”
The Roujiamo eaten by the video blogger at the beginning of the video is "Baiji mo", which is the authentic Roujiamo. There is another kind of Rou Jiamo in China, called "Tongguan Rou jiamo", which is not very tasty. Because the flatbread used in "Tongguan Rou Jia mo" is fried, I don't like it very much.
The antithetical couplet on that gate is a poem sentence “道法自然参天地、德育万物贯古今”, it means “The Tao follows the natural path of heaven and earth, and morality runs through all things from ancient to modern times” And that place is a taoist temple worshiping a saint named 韩湘子Han Xiangzi (one of the "eight saints")
Even with the implementation of EVs China gets it right with their blue plate/green plate system. Owners with cars with blue plates can only drive their cars every other day whereas owners with cars with green plates can drive it every day ...this is how you get people to switch over to EVs ! The police will issue or mail you a ticket if you drive your car with a blue plate on a none designated day, China's network of cameras can pick up the color of your plate in an instance !
The policies of each city may be different. For example, in Shenzhen, both blue and green license plates can be used on the road, but license plates in other areas will be restricted during peak periods.
If you want nature, go to Guilin, rent a scooter. Go to mountainous and forest areas. They have that scary glass walkway and bridge attached to the mountains
Finally updated from you two guys . Good vlogs you make . Still in china go to Shenzhen now ? or you will be in Shenzhen in chinese new year next FEB 9th .
The written form is the same throughout China thanks to the First Emperor's degre in 210BCE, but the dialect can be different in different regions of China. What she is referring to Southern China is the Cantonese dialect that is mostly spoken in the province of Guangdong, Hong-Kong and the Delta Pearl regions and very different from Mandarin like English to Gaelige in the UK.
A more apropriate comparison would be German and Dutch or English, because these three languages belong to the same Germanic languages. Gaelic is not Germanic but Celtic.
@@perile Yes in terms of origins, but that example is not valid since they are spoken through several different countries. In China's case it is within the same country.
@@etow8034 The difference between Plattdeutsch and Hochdeutsch is just as big as between Dutch and German. Both are spoken in Germany. Comparing English with Gaelic is just as nonsensical as comparing Mandarin with Mongolian or Uyghur. Mongolian and Uyghur are spoken in China as well.
@@etow8034 I was comparing differences within a language family, not different languages are spoken within a country. Comparing French and Flemish spoken within Belgium and saying they are vastly different is just stupid because one is Germanic and one is Romance.
Hello everyone!
Does anyone in Southern China, From Shenzhen all the way to Laos border have any suggestions for a new year party?
We plan on being in the South for new year, although we are flexible as its easy to travel anywhere in China
Do you mean Lunar New Year or these few days?
Strongly recommend Guangzhou, a well-known city for elaborate food--Dim Sum, as one of your tourist destination in South China. Also in CNY you will experience traditional flower market in GZ. It's a kind of celebration for CNY!❤❤
If time possible, I can show you around.
Am based in Shenzhen, would definitely suggest a food tour to Chaozhou/Shantou.
Yes Lunar New Year
welcome to Guangzhou.
China does not ban religion. China implements a policy of freedom of religious belief, which means people have the freedom to believe in or not to believe in religion. it's all up to individuals.
Religion (not cults) is free to practice personally, it's just not incorporated into their governance of the country. 👍
The government is neutral & not partial to any particular religion - unlike many other countries.
So for those countries that you have to swear to their favoured religious books in court, it may appear that China "ban" religions ! 😅
China does not allowed religions to govern the country. They have a very clear distinction between the separation of Religion and State. Not like in USA where politicians are forcing their religion on the people. Just the paper money said it all : “In GOD we trust.” And the pledge of allegiance “One Nation Under GOD” and just ONE GOD. NOT GODS. WHAT DOES IT TELL YOU--if you are Christian, you are good even if you kill people. God will forgive you. If you are none-Christian, you will go to HELL. Now that is Freedom of Religion to you in USA.
Free but surely disencouraged, which i think is reasonable in this modern and humanistic era considering some of the religious doctrines are a bit outdated, to say the least, it is the result of a non-democratic system, meaning churches don't sway votes. Is it good or bad? Not a simple question to answer.
Chinese absorbed foreign religions: Islam, Buddhist, Christian, plus home grown one like Taoism... people are free to choose whatever.
Chinese is atheism. He believes everyone that is Chinese. What is everything? Confucius, Taoism, Buddhism, Muslim or Christian that is officially accepted.
You guys, ROCK! We love nothing more than to see our foreign friends genuinely enjoying themselves in China! The only way to enjoy China or any other countries is to leave our preconceived ideas and fears about the places that we choose to visit at the gates.
Got to get out there and experience life for yourself
Ludicrous right? Imagine the blatant, horrible lies we've been told since young by our western education. Pure, physical hard facts shows that China never banned religion. If religion was ever banned in China, how'd we explain the existence of centuries old mosques, temples, churches and practices? It's sick how hate was implanted in us at the youngest age possible.
Thanks for the wonderful video and do enjoy your time in China discovering what is real for yourselves. Cheers!
Religion is not banned, but controlled, tightly.
@@Montytian I'm open to that conversation. How is it controlled "tightly". The form of control I know of after I went to China is this, NO religion in politics, governance and law aka if you are a party member (which means you are in governance) you are required to renounce your religion. For normal citizens (yes, not everyone is a party member), you can practice it anyhow you like unless it subverts/go against morality, laws and decency i.e. telling religion member to throw themselves from high rises on the pretense their faith will help them to fly (actually happened). China's control over religion revolves around this premise:
Religion is like a private part. Everyone has one and every thinks theirs is the best. Like private parts, don't swing it around in public stuffing it in everyone's face. Only enjoy it yourself and with those that are extremally close with you and wants to indulge. Don't bring it into politics because we don't want another Bill Clinton.
So... yeah.... how tight is tight?
@@Montytian Would you mind showing us the proof that u have been to china and exactly how religions have been tightly controlled.
@@oneilchung exactly, CENTURIES old. They were built before communism.
“you can practise anyhow”? Why than no services in churches and churches are converted into shops etc?
@@Montytian HOW??? I'm Buddhist, I got 200% free to go temples anytime and anywhere in China, have you ever been controlled?
hey alan and shannon, i live in shenzhen and would be happy to show u guys around shenzhen, known as the silicon valley of China. Im personally fluent in english as i lived in vancouver for 14 years.
Okay deal!
You guys with your lovely smiles and genuine respect for this beautiful country. I’m OBSESSED with watching you guys trying out fantastic new foods AND your lovely lovely accent! Hooked I am😂
Haha love it!! Thank you
I think this Scottish accent should be made compulsory for all of England.
Hello, welcome to Xi'an. You celebrated the New Year's Eve in 2024, and the Xi'an Bell Tower was truly unbeatable. It's been a long time since you saw such a scene. Xi'an is truly a beautiful and inclusive city, and also one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. Where did you go in Xi'an? I can't wait to watch your next video😊
Xi’an is our favourite so far as it was kept so much of the older architecture and scenery whilst also going forward and modernising with amazing metro systems and pretty buildings
We actually spent so much time just wandering around and of course eating!
Thank you
Thank you for this great video! @@Alan_and_Shannon
This sounds like a good choice. However, I have a point to remind you that it's very difficult to buy train and high-speed rail tickets, etc., in the early stages of the Spring Festival because the Spring Festival travel rush is the largest human migration on the planet, with nearly 1 billion people moving around. Trains, high-speed rail, airplanes, subways, and buses will be very busy. So please avoid going out during that time, book your tickets in advance to avoid a bad experience, and be prepared for long queues if necessary.
Ahh thank you very much for letting us know, we will pre plan ahead then
@@Alan_and_Shannonalso, a lot of stores close during that time since everyone is going back home to celebrate with families.
@@Alan_and_Shannon不怕的，到时候大城市都是空城 😂
Fantastic video guys. Yes, Xian is also my favourite city in China, it's such a good mix of ancient and modern architecture right next to eachother - A bit like Edinburgh.
I'm also so glad you guys got to see the Muslim Quarters - The media constantly tries to brainwash us about China.
Keep up the great content.
From your fellow Scot living in Hong Kong. 🏴🇭🇰🇨🇳
The guide is right in some sense that the southern dialect like Cantonese is incomprehensible to Northern Chinese but thanks to the tyrant Qin Emperor, he laid a decree that all languages or dialects when written had to be uniform so that even when one speak differently, but when the language is written, it becomes clearer. This also explains why China has a continuous civilisation for thousands of yrs. The written language make a large contribution.
The Qin Emperor (also the first emperor in China, the ones before didn't use the same term) is not a tyrant, many people used to say he is one, but he has definitely indispensable contribution to China. Not only the language used did he unify, but also the measuring and weighing units.
under the cultural influnce of sinosphere when China was the superpower in the east. the viets koreans & japanese all used to write in Chinese characters until China declined a hundred year ago losing control of vietnam & korea.. viets forced to switch to roman alphabet by their colonial french master..korea started replacing with their hangul alphabets officially after the korean war..and japanese using more of their other 2 alphabets with lesser use of full Chinese characters.
@@achtungbaby2009
That's true.
Xian is an ancient capital thousands of years ago. you can walk upstair to the upper floor of the fortress, check out the pagoda, and teracatta warriors
13:53, Expressed in Chinese as"道法自然"（Dao （Tao） Fa Ziran）。
There were many philosophical schools in ancient China. Laozi's Dao （Tao） is one of them.
Laozi's philosophy held that there was an object that was chaotic, boundless, soundless, and integrated, and that existed long before the Chinese creation myth. It is unique, unique, will never change, but flow in all things will never stop, it can be as the world of all things and the universe as the fundamental. We didn't know what it was called, so used the word "Tao" as its name and reluctantly called it "Da". This" Big", is constantly moving, that is to say, it is everywhere, everywhere, through the ages, the eight wildernesses, reach the extreme distance （after the creation of all things） and return to the original nature. Because the Tao is so endless, both the creation of the universe, and make all things back to the Tao, so said a lot, and obey the Tao of Heaven, Earth, people are also very big. The universe has four"Big", and man is one of them. Man follows the law of the Earth, the Earth imitates the sky, the sky takes the Tao as the basis of operation, and the Tao comes naturally.
i absolutely love this series and the energy and positivity you guys bring! I hope you guy continue to explore many parts of china!
Couldn't agree more! I took an immediate liking to Alan & Shannon, I find them very pleasant and likable; among the best of China travel foodies I've seen yet. Have an open mind and you'll realize the sky's the limit. Keep up the great work, love it!
Really enjoyed your China series and I'm glad to hear that you will be spending Chinese New Year in the southern China. If you have Shenzhen on your itinerary, feel free to get in touch and I'd be happy to offer any help and advice I can. And as otherone mentioned before, hopefully you'll be avoiding the peak passenger times.
Yes lets make this happen!!
Funny to see some bots claimed you guys were murdered in China, anyway, good video as always.
Thank you for watching, yeah we got some crazy messages asking if we were dead haha, we just took a few days to enjoy Christmas
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 虽然中国不算多富裕 但是治安算是可以的
西方媒体一直在给中国造谣 人们怎么会相信西方媒体离谱的新闻）😡
中等水平不算穷😊@linlee8970
@linlee8970中國並不貧窮
If you are going to be in China that long until around Chinese New Year (that's what I seem to gather), I suggest that you do most of the popular tourist destinations before the start of the week-long holiday where domestic tourists will be out in full force, cheeks to jowls. Then in that week smack into the chinese new year, then go off beaten paths less frequented by tourists, maybe smaller towns and cities. If you are going south (seems like you are), then Yunnan and Guangxi(absolutely many beautiful landscapes to explore) highly recommend, and the usual Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Gulanyu Island in Xiamen (also the Tulou).
Since you have now already gone as far as Xi'an in Lanzhou, might as well go farther west to Qinghai, Xinjiang (more central asian/middle eastern like cuisines there) to experience something different.
Xinjiang is good suggestion.
I’m from Scotland,love to watch you both enjoying your time in china!
You are still a chinse guy tho
@@AT-gw5qb
Scottish English is hard for me to understand 😂
It is a very culture city, very interesting... Didnt see much of the food adventure in this videos. The city wall is impressive. I cannot wait to see more clips from you guys. More locals joining will be good too, as the interaction is very interesting.
the couplets in front of doors in China represents the ideologies of a household or an establishment. it is usually about hoping for good life and good weather(very important for farmers), in this temple, it says, the way of universe is to follow the way of nature and study the truth about earth and heaven, the (eternal) justice and moral cultivates everything throughout history. this is a temple for a 7th century atheist who was very vocal against Buddhism.
love you guys ! so genuine and lovely couple ! you guys need to upload more! can't wait to see the next one !
I'm glad to hear that you are going to the cities in the south to visit the Chinese New Year. In fact, since the first few videos, I have been worried that your warm clothes may not be enough, especially a new round of cold wave may come in these days. If you want to visit beautiful places, I recommend Yunnan and Guangxi. If you want to visit places with heavy New Year flavors, Nanning( Guangxi), Foshan( Guangdong), Quanzhou( Fujian), and Haikou( Hainan) are all good. I hope it will be helpful to you.
你说的一点用没有，广西云南那种破地方有什么好玩的。北京，上海，西安，杭州，南京，苏州，天津，哈尔滨，多穿点，云南广西不如东南亚还更贵，来中国玩要看中国特色和历史，不是去看东南亚风格
@@hyjcxyz 这些地方你都去过吗就急着否定，每个地方都有每个地方的特色，不是只有大城市才好玩，云桂也不是东南亚特色，特别是广西虽然是少民自治区，但是人口大部分都是汉族人，壮族是汉化最彻底的民族，这么一个汉族文化为主的省，哪来的东南亚风格？桂林阳朔更是有大量老外定居，我以前去阳朔玩的时候，随处可见白人、黑人老外，还有他们开的各种餐厅店铺。云南就更别说了，是少数民族种类最多的省份，各个地方都有自己的特色。况且这期视频你认真看了吗？up主除了喜欢美食，还有各种特色文化，景点，这些东西，云贵桂这些穷省哪里差了？
@@hyjcxyz廣西年味真挺足，煙花隨便放😂😢
Love your accent, your genuineness, your open minded attitude!
Thank you ❤️
It's so interesting to re-visit Xi'an through your perspectives, so different, but so interesting. and I really like your observations, in your own way. and your accent is unbeatable!
You are smiling faces with discerning eyes, very good! We are all afraid that the cold will make you sick
Dont worry we have about 6 layers on 😂😂
So cool to have one of your followers take you around. Must feel proud to have such reach and support.
Yes its a big achievement for us
Xi'an is the ancient capital of China where China's First Emperor Qin Shi Huang/秦始皇 of the Qin Dynasty's throne sits. If you look at a map of China you will see Xi'an is precisely in the center of the country hence the Chinese meaning of 中国 (Zhōngguó) or Middle Country or the more commonly English translation Middle Kingdom pretty amazing that they could precisely pinpoint it in the center before satellites in 210BCE !
She's right. It's not easy to translate those poetic verses in Chinese to English. It may even sound ridiculous to attempt to literally translate it.
Just a kind reminder: Try set your frame rate to 25 to avoid light flickering. Love your channel and contents!! Keep them coming please!
Hope you two enjoy the tour in China~
I hope you have the time to see the Terracotta Warriors. It'd be a shame to miss it when you're in Xian.
The place I grow up! Hope you like the city!
Our favourite in China, its modern but also very old school, which was the part we loved
that was a tiger token or tally, two halves make a whole tiger. a general has one half, the emperor or king has the other half. when the king give command, his messenger would bring his half to the troop, and the general would verify the token to see if they fit. it combined （合）, they are the same (同)， which is the word "contract" in chinese, 合同。
又是學術高人😊
welcome to China, i work overtime, it's unexpectedly that I am catching up with your new video released, im so excited,I cant wait
Wow, Love to hear more about Xian ! I am planning a trip ther in April.
Welcome to Xian!
Thanks!
Thank you so much, we love you ❤️❤️❤️
lo❤ve you two so so much, keep up with the good work!
Thank you❤️
My god being waiting for ur newest post like forever.
Thought u guys ate too much & ended up in a hospital or something
Sorry we got caught up spending Christmas and New Year just us two, back and flying dont worry!!
I suggest this route: Shenzhen - Guangzhou - Guilin - via Kunming - Dali - Lijiang - via Xishuangbanna - Laos, but please be aware of busy traffic when travelling near Chinese new year. Tickets in some routes should be booked 15 days in advanced.
Laos is not China. But beautiful
My home town, so happy to see you guys visiting there,hope you guy's have good time there,got show more delicious food, i miss the food so much!
Thanks for the video! What an amazing experience you had in Xi'an! Xi'an is my hometown. Haven't been back for years. Watching your video makes me miss this great city a lot.
im from Beijing, was there last summer with my family! food was amazing! summer time has a lot more people too! good that you guys experienced it!
Would defiantly love to experience it when it’s not as cold
Love your video so much❤
Thank you very much for watching!❤️
You guys have traveled more of China than I have as someone who grew up there. Can’t wait to get a chance to visit again!
I love that your followers are showing you around, so cute!
YOU ARE BACK ! ! !
Wow, looks great! You guys are lucky visiting those places in Xi'an!! I crave for Xi'an 肉夹馍！！
Ur Xian vid is elaborate (thks to Mindy) and so beautiful! I really like it.
I'm in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.I'm happy to be your guide when you travel in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.Btw,I studied in Scotland(Stirling) 10 years ago.I love Scotland!
Hello, the Chinese translation you asked is like, "The Tao studies and follows the way the nature works; Moral leads everyone and everything from ancient times to now", just for your reference.
As for dialects, Southern dialects are so different from each other. I can't understand the dialect about 200km away myself, let alone northern people.
Thank you so much for your great video
Too bad it's so cold, when it's warm people go up the wall and rent a bike to ride around the whole thing which takes a while since it's so big. Also did you go to Datang Everbright City? Although it's more of a commercial tourist destination, you will see a lot of people dressed up in traditional chinese clothing walking around and there are performances every few steps.
Finally!
Would there be videos of your guys' visits to those famous tourists attractions?
I'm a Chinese student who has been studing in Italy for a year and half now, Italians do have some pretty nice food but what I miss the most about China is the street food
What’s your favourite street food dishes?
Happy New Year guys. That burger made me so hungry. Looked banging.
Great video! Reminds me to visit Xi'an again!
Really enjoyed the video. Hopefully you guys can venture longer in China
Every vlogger entered China had become a food vlogger.
welcome to my hometown, as a local Xi'an citizen, I can told you religion absolutely not banned in China, we have 60,000 Muslim living in the food street area, we have The Great Mosque of Xi'an is one of the largest premodern mosques in China, the mosque was first built in the year 742 AD during the Tang dynasty, I highly recommend you to check it out, in Xi'an we have Church ～of course Buddhism is the most popular religious be cause of culture influence.
U guys should travel to harbin if u got enough time🎉given that harbin is the most popular destination this winter. The ice city is really out of this world!❤I dare say it's the best ice and snow festival in the whole world.
We will look into this now!
@alanshannon3884 it is EXTREMELY cold in Harbin right now so you're really gonna need some snow clothes or you'll freeze
You Guys are Amazing, please catch up with ''The Hutchinsons'' they from UK also, wish I was with you, shannon you inspire so many of my younger family members
好开心❤更新视频了
hey a new adventure vlog! Hope you two are having a blast where you are :D
We are loving it
Love your videos, y'all are very open-minded and always bring a good vibe, cheers!
Thanks so much!
A bit to add to the dialects. Linguistically speaking (in the academic sense), Mandarin, Shanghainese, and Cantonese etc are classified as languages under the Chinese language family based on their low level of mutual intelligibility (~35% for Mandarin vs Cantonese according to one study) and historical development. Cantonese and Mandarin branched off of Middle Chinese (~12th century) historically and developed in parallel. However, the Chinese word 方言 (local speech) is assigned the English translation "dialect". This is also due to local languages not having a standard written form, thus "speech". Mandarin (or Guan Chinese) was and still is the lingua franca of all of China (and surrounding countries during some time in history).
So technically, most literate Han Chinese (and ancient surrounding nations under Sino-influence) know 2 languages: their local language to speak and Standard Mandarin nowadays (and Classical Chinese before end of imperial China 1912) to write. This situation is sort of like Standard Arabic vs local dialects.
13:53 Follow Nature's Way (Dao Fa Zi Ran), meaning to follow the Tao, connects to the natural laws and principles of the universe as they permeate all things, including health, business, relationships, society, family, and all of life.
Tao refers to the Source, the Creator, Oneness, and the Way of All Life. It was a name reluctantly given by Lao Zi after his observation of universe and nature, because no written words can accurately describe this phenomena.
Somewhat like 'harmony' but deeper in meaning. 🕊
You guys are smart.🎉🎉❤
Hey guys, GREAT video! I lived in Guangzhou but now temporarily work in Slough. Probably I won't recommend Guangzhou and Shenzhen since they are just the similar metropolises like Shanghai, unless you are interested in the traditional cantonese food 'Dim Sum'. If you want to see something more exotic, maybe go to Suzhou, Shaoxing and Lijiang to check those ancient towns.
By the way, find a local to show you around could be good and help to avoid overpaying in there. Cheers!
Okay we will add those places onto our list! We want to see some nature also, we were hoping to get a boat trip all way down the Pearl River for a few days
Great video! Love it!
Glad you enjoyed it😁
13:50 I believe it's the southwest gate of Xi'an, It is a temple of Taoism.
It says “道法自然参天地，德育万物贯古今” means "The law of Taoism refer to the nature, astronomy and geography, and its virtue nurtures all things through the ages."
I am addicted to the Muslim burgers after having them in Xi’an. The street food there was incredible. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
They are amazing
Good stuff, thanks for show us the amazing buildings and architecture.
Glad you enjoyed it
i'm so glad you are enjoying your stay in Xi'an, I highly recommend biking on top of the city wall; it's an experience like no other because you can't get it anywhere else.
Both of you from Scotland? studied in Dundee before, the accent is so nice to my ears. will support your youtube channel, good luck. mate
Yes we are both from Glasgow, thank you so much! Are you still based in Scotland?
Awww miss u guys sooo much BUT love n so so proud of ur journey/fun and respect for all the countries u visit - cant wait for u to show me about when i visit u guys - plus love u finally like ice cream alan finally !!!! lol xx
I've been waiting for your new video😁
Omg Xian, one of my favorite cities in the world!! Roujiamo (Chinese 🍔) is delicious glad you guys enjoyed it! 😋
so lovely to see you guys after 2 weeks, wonderful stuff!! Best wishes in Shenzhen!! 💯💯💯💪💪💪
Thank you 🙌
4:37, such tiger-shaped plate was the sign for military orders in anchiet china, and not in original use today, but you can find its pattern in many other products besides ice cream, say public transportation card, a xi'an speciality, they also have imperial jade seal, very cool, or fridge magnet.
Thats very interesting thank you 🙏
Excellent work 🎉🎉🎉
I am hungry after seeing the video with "wow" followed by every bite on the Chinese bugger.
Great video ❤
Glad you liked it!!
Xi An is the ancient capital of China, called Changan. Another one is Luo yang. These 2 cities are frequently switched among dynasties from Qin to Tang until Genghis Khan conquered China and make Beijing their capital in the 13th century. Since then, Beijing has been China's capital. Nanjing was the capital under the Nationalist but for a short no. of yrs.
You can go to the newly-built Qin Han museum, it's newly constructed couple months earlier, the buildings are magnificent.
come to Yunnan（ Lijiang, Dali, Shangri-La）
Air ticket and hotels get more expensive after Jan. 20, when students start their holidays。
After February 4, air and train tickets will be hard to get and hotels will be very expensive
I really really miss you two so much. Why dose these days haven't upload the vedio😢
China has about 25 million Muslims and 40,000 mosques.
Happy New Year to you both loving couple
Welcome to Asia!! Nice to hear the Scouse accent along the oriental streets!!
Something interesting.I try to translate the 14 characters outside door.
It means“Principle follow the natural rule.morality bring up all things through ancient to now.”From 《tao teh ching》writen by Lao Tzu (571-471B.C)
“道法自然循天地 德育万物贯古今”
《道德经》是一部可以用一生去感受的书。观书观世。如果有精力的话，推荐您深入了解它。
There is a easy way to call the name of the first Chinese hamburger: "Roger Moore". Every Chinese can understand when you order it😁.
Why Roger Moore??
similar sound@@Alan_and_Shannon
Similar pronunciations.And I recommend pork version of 肉夹馍.
The Chinese name for a hamburger is "肉夹馍" which means “meat in a bun". "肉夹馍" is pronounced as Rou Jia Mo which loosely sounds like "Roger Moore".
@@alexma5848 Of course only available outside of Muslim street...
Waiting for 2 more weeks, update a new clip slower than usual 😅
The Roujiamo eaten by the video blogger at the beginning of the video is "Baiji mo", which is the authentic Roujiamo. There is another kind of Rou Jiamo in China, called "Tongguan Rou jiamo", which is not very tasty. Because the flatbread used in "Tongguan Rou Jia mo" is fried, I don't like it very much.
Thanks for the info!
The antithetical couplet on that gate is a poem sentence “道法自然参天地、德育万物贯古今”,
it means “The Tao follows the natural path of heaven and earth, and morality runs through all things from ancient to modern times”
And that place is a taoist temple worshiping a saint named 韩湘子Han Xiangzi (one of the "eight saints")
學術高人
那是湘子庙门口，也就是八仙之一的韩湘子庙。门口对联是：道法自然参天地、德育万物贯古今。对联应该由右到左，您的顺序反了
@@davidw.2467 已更正，感谢指正赐教。
不过说是道观应该没错哈哈。
@@williamwan3712 客气客气，我只是刚巧有缘去过此庙。您的其他解说都是正确的👍
Finally.🎉
Even with the implementation of EVs China gets it right with their blue plate/green plate system. Owners with cars with blue plates can only drive their cars every other day whereas owners with cars with green plates can drive it every day ...this is how you get people to switch over to EVs ! The police will issue or mail you a ticket if you drive your car with a blue plate on a none designated day, China's network of cameras can pick up the color of your plate in an instance !
The policies of each city may be different. For example, in Shenzhen, both blue and green license plates can be used on the road, but license plates in other areas will be restricted during peak periods.
If you want nature, go to Guilin, rent a scooter. Go to mountainous and forest areas. They have that scary glass walkway and bridge attached to the mountains
You will NEVER regret it once ou are in Harbin..it is a trip of a lifetime for both of you..
Very peaceful and honest video!!!
Finally updated from you two guys . Good vlogs you make .
Still in china go to Shenzhen now ? or you will be in Shenzhen in chinese new year next FEB 9th .
The written form is the same throughout China thanks to the First Emperor's degre in 210BCE, but the dialect can be different in different regions of China. What she is referring to Southern China is the Cantonese dialect that is mostly spoken in the province of Guangdong, Hong-Kong and the Delta Pearl regions and very different from Mandarin like English to Gaelige in the UK.
A more apropriate comparison would be German and Dutch or English, because these three languages belong to the same Germanic languages. Gaelic is not Germanic but Celtic.
@@perile Yes in terms of origins, but that example is not valid since they are spoken through several different countries. In China's case it is within the same country.
@@etow8034 The difference between Plattdeutsch and Hochdeutsch is just as big as between Dutch and German. Both are spoken in Germany.
Comparing English with Gaelic is just as nonsensical as comparing Mandarin with Mongolian or Uyghur. Mongolian and Uyghur are spoken in China as well.
@@perile Then you should have used that as your example !
@@etow8034 I was comparing differences within a language family, not different languages are spoken within a country. Comparing French and Flemish spoken within Belgium and saying they are vastly different is just stupid because one is Germanic and one is Romance.