Tourism English Listening and Speaking Changsha Social Work College Tourism English

Unit 10 Touring Zhejiang

Putuo Mountain

Objective  Be familiar with important words and expressions  To grasp some points of leading tourists for sightseeing  To know more about Yuelu Academy and Beijing Opera  Grasp some useful expression of checking out

Content  Dialogue B Travel and Sightseeing  Dialogue C Entertainment  Dialogue D Seeing off the Guests

Dialogue B: Travel and Sightseeing  Background information Yuelu Academy is one of the four famous academies in China, and it was established by Zhudong, magistrate of Tanzhou prefecture in 976A.D at the time of Northern Song Dynasty. The academy accepted disciples throughout the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. It was only in 1903 that the academy was transformed from a school of traditional Confucian learning to an institute of higher learning and in 1926 it was officially named Hunan University.

Language Points 1.on the way to / on one’s way to: 在 … 的路上  eg: We are on the way to Yuelu Academy. on ones way home 在回家的路上。 2. be designated as 被命名为；被确认为  eg: Yuelu Academy was designated as the provincial institution of higher education. 岳麓书院被确认为省立高等学院。 3. On its inner walls are inscribed two big Chinese characters “Fu” and “Shou” which mean “blessing” and “Longevity”. 内墙上刻有 “ 福 ” 、 “ 寿 ” 两个汉字。

Dialogue C Entertainment  Background information  There are four main roles in Beijing Opera: the Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou.ShengDan Jing Chou

Sheng  The Sheng are the leading male actors and they play scholars, generals, etc. They are divided into Laosheng who wear beards and represent old men, and Xiaosheng who represent young men. The Wensheng are the scholars and the civil servants. The Wusheng play soldiers and other fighters, and because of this, they are specially trained in acrobatics

Dan  The Dan are the female roles. Formerly, the term meant female impersonator. In feudal China, men and women were forbidden to play on the same stage to maintain strict segregation. The Laodan are the elderly, dignified ladies such as mothers, aunts and widow. The Qingyi are aristocratic ladies in elegant costumes. The Huadan are the ladies, maids, usually in brightly colored costumes. The Daomadan are the warrior women. The Caidan are the female comedians.

Jing  The Jing are the painted-face roles, and they represent warriors, heroes, statesmen, adventurers and demons. Their counterpart is the Fujing, ridiculous figures who are anything but heroic.

Chou  The term for clowns in Beijing Opera is Chou. Their task is the same as that of the western clown – to keep the audience laughing and to improvise quips at the right moments to ease tension on some serious plays.

Language points  1. rather than 而不是  eg: The roles are categorized according to the characters rather than their vocal range. 演员是根据他们所扮演的角色来分的而不是音域。  2. “Sheng” 、 “Dan” 、 “Jing” 、 “Mo” 、 “Chou” 生旦净末丑  martial arts and acrobatics feats 武术和杂技  Facial make-up 面部化妆；脸谱  Costumes and stage props 戏装和舞台布景  Journey to the West 西游记

Dialogue D ： Seeing off the Guests

Role-play The American friends are very interested in Beijing Opera and they want to know more about it. Suppose that you are very familiar with Beijing Opera and you happen to meet them.

Homework Questions: Please list four main roles in Beijing Opera.