Dialogue and Translation for Exercise 2

In this conversation, an American scholar visiting China (A) talks with
an old Chinese friend of his (B) at the Beijing Hotel.

-   A: Mēicì lái Zhōngguō zōngshi yào

máfan.nī, péizhe wōmen pǎolai pǎo-qùde. Nī shénme shíhou ye dào Měiguo
qù kànkan ma! Sān-sìshí-nián le, Měiguo yījīng biànde tài duō le!

-   B: Shi a! Qù shi hen xiǎng qùde,

zhī shi yìshí hái zhǎobudào jīhui.

A:   Gēlúnbīyà Dàxué cháng qīng tāmen-

de lǎo xuésheng huíqu cānguān, yōu-lǎn. Wō shishi gěi ni ānpai yixiar.

B: Hǎode....Shuōqilai yě qíguài, Niǔ Yuē zhēn shi ge tèbiéde dìfang. Wō
zhù zai nàrde shihou bù juéde zěnme tài hǎo, kēshi xiànzài cháng
xiǎng-qi ta! Yōu hen duō lǎo liúxuéshēng cháng shuō, shéi zài Niù Yuē
zhùguo' shéi jiu hui chángcháng xiǎngzhe ta!

-   A: Ò, wōmen bù tán zhèige le. Zài tánxiaqu wō yě yào xiǎng jiā le.
    Wōmen háishi chūqu zōuzou ba!

-   B: Hǎo a! Nī xiǎng qù nǎr a?

A: Beijing shi shōudū, yídìng yōu xie yōu yìside dìfang. Gùgōng,
Yí-héyuán shenmede wō dōu qùguo le. Fùjìn hái yōu shénme biéde dìfang
bījiǎo yŌu yìsi ma?

B: Cong zhèli chūqu wǎng xl zōu, chuānguo Tian’ānmén Guǎngchǎng, zài
Tiān’ānménde xībianr yōu yíge gōng-yuánr, jiao Zhongshan Gōngyuán,
lī-mian yōu bù shǎo piàoliangde gudài jiànzhù.

A:   Shi shénme cháodàide Jiànzhù, yōu

duáshao niánde lìshī !•-'?

Every time I come to China I always trouble you to accompany us all
around the place. You should really come see America some time! It’s
changed a lot in thirty or forty years!

Yes, I’d love to go, it’s Just that for the moment I can’t find the
opportunity.

Columbia University often invites their old students back to visit and
tour. I’ll try to arrange it for you.

Okay....It’s a funny thing, but Nev York is really a special place. When
I was living there, I didn’t think much of the place, but nov I often
think of it. A lot of old students returned from abroad often say that
whoever has lived in New York will think of it often!

Let’s not talk about this any more. If we keep talking about it, I’m
going to start missing home, too. It would be better if we went outside
for a walk!

All right! Where would you like to go?

Beijing is the capital, so it naturally has some interesting places.
I’ve been to the Palace Museum and the Summer Palace. Are there any
other interesting places near here?

If you go out from here and walk to the west, then cut across Tiān’ānmén
Square, then on the west side of Tiān-ānmén there’s a park called Sun
Yatsen Park, and inside there are a lot of beautiful ancient buildings.

What dynasty are the buildings from? How old are they?

B: Zuì zàode jiànzhù shi Liáodàide, chàbuduō yōu yìqiānniánde lìshì le.
Nàr hái yōu qìkē gǔdàide dà shù, yě dōu yōu yìqiānduō nian le.

-   A:

-   B: Yōu, yōu yízuō dà diàn shi Míng-chaode shihour Jiànzhude, yòngde
    cáiliào quán shi mùtou, yě yìjīng chàbuduō yōu liǔbàiniánde lìshl.

-   A: Hào, nà wōmen xiànzài Jiù qù

zōuzou.

-   B: HÍode, zōu!

    Nèr yě yōu yōu míngde gōngdiàn ba?

The earliest buildings are from the Liao Period. They are about a
thousand years old. There are also seven ancient trees there, which are
over a thousand years old, too.

There’s a famous palace there too, isn't there?

Yes. There’s a large palace which was constructed in the Ming Dynasty,
made entirely of wood. That’s about six hundred years old, too.

All right, then let’s go for a walk right now.

Okay, let’s go!