Advanced Audio Blog #11 - Shantou: A Traditional Chinese City in the Heart of the Cantonese World

Summary: Learn Cantonese with CantoneseClass101! Don't forget to stop by CantoneseClass101.com for more great Cantonese Language Learning Resources! -------Lesson Dialog------- ----Traditional ---- 汕頭 汕頭經濟非常發達，如果提起汕頭，就沒有不會想到“潮汕話”、“大男人主義”和“會賺錢”這幾個關鍵字。 先講第一個，汕頭人講的不是廣東話，當然由於廣東話是廣東人的主要方言，而且由於香港文化的發達和傳播，所以汕頭人就算不會說，也能基本聽得懂廣東話。但是一個欠缺自我表達的城市，是比較難融入集體的，所以這個城市一直處於很尷尬的狀態，與廣州及其附近的城市有點格格不入。 不過汕頭是非常出名的華僑城市，發達又傳統，開放又保守。汕頭民眾更以刻苦耐勞 、勇於開拓，善於經營，誠實信義而著稱於世。國外有很多汕頭人，而汕頭又有很多從國外回來的人。 但是就像開頭提到的，汕頭的大男人主義非常嚴重，在他們心目中，女性就應該三從四德，嫁雞隨雞，嫁狗隨狗，生是我家人，死是我家鬼。我表姐就嫁給了一個汕頭人，從一個“十指不沾陽春水”的千金富貴大小姐，淪為了一名入得廚房，出得廳堂的現代黃臉婆。她說，並不是她偉大，而是她渺小。因為嫁到汕頭之後，個人是不可能對抗整個城市的文化和傳統的。 ----English---- Shantou Shantou has a really developed economy. But if you ever hear mention of the place, the phrases "Chaoshan dialect", "male chauvinism" or "good at earning money" won't be far behind. Let's deal with first things first. In Shantou people do not speak Cantonese. Of course, because Cantonese in the main language in Guangdong and the dialect developed and spread through Hong Kong culture, if you speak Cantonese in Shantou you'll still be understood, even if Shantou people can't speak it themselves. But Shantou has its own dialect and so doesn't integrate well with the rest of Guangdong province. That's why its situation is a bit awkward, and the place is out of joint with Guangzhou and the other cities nearby. Nonetheless, Shantou is a famous place in China. The city is economically developed but also traditional. It's open to the outside world but also quite orthodox. The people in Shantou are famous most of all for being hard working. They are known for being honest and being people of integrity, for being good managers, and for having the courage to open up new businesses. There are lots of people from Shantou all over the world, and also many people in Shantou who have returned from living abroad. But as I mentioned in the beginning, Shantou is also a very chauvinistic city. In the minds of Shantou men, women should be obedient, virtuous and subservient to their husbands no matter the situation. My cousin once married a man from Shantou and changed from being a princess "whose never even needed to pour her own bathwater" to an old housewife who spent all of her time cooking and cleaning. She said that the problem wasn't that she was great, but that rather she was too small. After she moved to Shantou she found it impossible to push back against the entire city's traditions and culture as an individual. ----Pinyin---- saan3 tau4 saan3 tau4 ging1 zai3 fei1 soeng4 faat3 daat6 ， jyu4 gwo2 tai4 hei2 saan3 tau4 ， zau6 mut6 jau5 bat1 wui5 soeng2 dou3 “ ciu4 saan3 waa2 ” 、 “ daai6 naam4 jan2 zyu2 ji6 ” wo4 “ wui5 zaan6 cin2 ” ze2 gei2 go3 gwaan1 gin6 zi6 。 sin1 gong2 dai6 jat1 go3 ， saan3 tau4 jan4 gong2 dik1 bat1 si6 gwong2 dung1 waa2 ， dong1 jin4 jau4 jyu1 gwong2 dung1 waa2 si6 gwong2 dung1 jan4 dik1 zyu2 jiu3 fong1 jin4 ， ji4 ce2 jau4 jyu1 hoeng1 gong2 man4 faa3 dik1 faat3 daat6 wo4 cyun4 bo3 ， so2 ji5 saan3 tau4 jan4 zau6 syun3 bat1 wui5 syut3 ， jaa5 nang4 gei1 bun2 teng1 dak1 dung2 gwong2 dung1 waa2 。 daan6 si6 jat1 go3 him3 kyut3 zi6 ngo5 biu2 daat6 dik1 sing4 si5 ， si6 bei2 gaau3 naan4 jung4 jap6 zaap6 tai2 dik1 ， so2 ji5 ze2 go3 sing4 si5 jat1 zik6 cyu2 jyu1 han2 gaam3 gaai3 dik1 zong6 taai3 ， jyu2 gwong2 zau1 kap6 kei4 fu6 gan6 dik1 sing4 si5 jau5 dim2 gaak3 gaak3 bat1 jap6 。 bat1 gwo3 saan3 tau4 si6 fei1 soeng4 ceot1 meng2 dik1 waa4 kiu4 sing4 si5 ， faat3 daat6 jau6 cyun4 tung2 ， hoi1 fong3 jau6 bou2 sau2 。 saan3 tau4 man4 zung3 gang3 ji5 haak1 fu2 noi6 lou4 、 jung5 [...]