Chongqing

Post your trip reports, travel experiences, and updates abroad. Or your expat story if you already live overseas. Note: To post photos and images, insert the image URL between the tags Image after uploading them to a third party site.
Post Reply
zboy1
Elite Upper Class Poster
Posts: 4648
Joined: October 3rd, 2007, 9:33 pm

Chongqing

Post by zboy1 »

Hey guys, I'm in Chongqing visiting Baoning and other HA members living there. I'll give you a more in-depth review in the near future.

So far, I guess I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with Everdred when he mentioned how unimpressed he was with the girls there. I've seen some really attractive girls here so far...

Anyway, I've got a new girlfriend now, and I think it's becoming somewhat serious now...(Don't worry Winston, it's not that girl).

The one thing I do agree with Everdred was when he mentioned how stressful the city is; it kind of reminds of Shanghai in that regard.
Last edited by zboy1 on July 12th, 2015, 12:11 pm, edited 2 times in total.
zboy1
Elite Upper Class Poster
Posts: 4648
Joined: October 3rd, 2007, 9:33 pm

Re: Chongqing

Post by zboy1 »

The one thing about Chongqing is that nobody here can understand my Chinese: even simple words or phrases they can't seem to understand, whereas Guangdong people have no problems when I speak basic phrases. WTF?

Can someone explain to me why that is? Is there a local dialect here that makes people unable to understand me?
Ghost
Elite Upper Class Poster
Posts: 5983
Joined: April 16th, 2011, 6:23 pm

-----

Post by Ghost »

-----
Last edited by Ghost on October 26th, 2016, 10:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
Rock
Elite Upper Class Poster
Posts: 4206
Joined: April 21st, 2010, 9:16 am

Re: Chongqing

Post by Rock »

zboy1 wrote:The one thing about Chongqing is that nobody here can understand my Chinese: even simple words or phrases they can't seem to understand, whereas Guangdong people have no problems when I speak basic phrases. WTF?

Can someone explain to me why that is? Is there a local dialect here that makes people unable to understand me?
Presumably, you learned a lot of your Chinese in Guangdong (you've been living in Dongguan for quite awhile right)? So the style and accent you've been taught there plus the daily reinforcements on what is and is not habitually used in the way they speak Mandarin there may have influenced your habitual speaking style to fit that environment. Plus, Guangdong attracts so many outside people that more regular Mandarin may be more commonly used there. Now in predominantly Mandarin speaking areas up north, they might be able to understand you as well. But in a place like Chongqing or to a lessor extent Chengdu, they speak a dialect which kind of sounds like very distorted and harsh Mandarin. So the pronunciation habits from that dialect translate over how they speak Mandarin and many are used to that style when they listen too. Chongqing does not have as as high a percentage of outsiders as Shenzhen and Dongguan.
zboy1
Elite Upper Class Poster
Posts: 4648
Joined: October 3rd, 2007, 9:33 pm

Re: Chongqing

Post by zboy1 »

Rock wrote:
zboy1 wrote:The one thing about Chongqing is that nobody here can understand my Chinese: even simple words or phrases they can't seem to understand, whereas Guangdong people have no problems when I speak basic phrases. WTF?

Can someone explain to me why that is? Is there a local dialect here that makes people unable to understand me?
Presumably, you learned a lot of your Chinese in Guangdong (you've been living in Dongguan for quite awhile right)? So the style and accent you've been taught there plus the daily reinforcements on what is and is not habitually used in the way they speak Mandarin there may have influenced your habitual speaking style to fit that environment. Plus, Guangdong attracts so many outside people that more regular Mandarin may be more commonly used there. Now in predominantly Mandarin speaking areas up north, they might be able to understand you as well. But in a place like Chongqing or to a lessor extent Chengdu, they speak a dialect which kind of sounds like very distorted and harsh Mandarin. So the pronunciation habits from that dialect translate over how they speak Mandarin and many are used to that style when they listen too. Chongqing does not have as as high a percentage of outsiders as Shenzhen and Dongguan.
Yes, one of my students said the same thing: she said Guangdong people speak 'rubbish' Mandarin, due to Cantonese being the main language, so maybe that has rubbed off on me?
zboy1
Elite Upper Class Poster
Posts: 4648
Joined: October 3rd, 2007, 9:33 pm

Re: Chongqing

Post by zboy1 »

One of my major pet peeves here in Chongqing is how rude taxi drivers are. Sh*t! Some of them are rude as f**k. I came close to socking one guy in the mouth for the way he spoke to me. LOL.
zboy1
Elite Upper Class Poster
Posts: 4648
Joined: October 3rd, 2007, 9:33 pm

Re: Chongqing

Post by zboy1 »

One piece of advice: don't visit CiQiKou--as it's a major tourist trap with little shops selling useless things--and not much else to see.

The women are beautiful here, though, no doubt about it. I guess it's true about the Chinese saying about how women from this region are the most attractive in China. I can't confirm that, as I've only been to some parts of China, but the women in this region definitely catch my eye.
droid
Elite Upper Class Poster
Posts: 3127
Joined: September 19th, 2013, 11:38 pm

Re: Chongqing

Post by droid »

zboy1 wrote:I'll give you a more in-depth review in the near future.
In-depth review and, god forbid, pictures from zboy1?
I won't hold my breath...
1)Too much of one thing defeats the purpose.
2)Everybody is full of it. What's your hypocrisy?
momopi
Elite Upper Class Poster
Posts: 4898
Joined: August 31st, 2007, 9:44 pm
Location: Orange County, California

Re: Chongqing

Post by momopi »

take...photos...!
celery2010
Freshman Poster
Posts: 328
Joined: July 13th, 2012, 3:18 pm

Re: Chongqing

Post by celery2010 »

yeah i was a bit puzzled by everdred's analysis of chongqing. granted i've only been to chengdu.

But it sounds like the detroit or birmingham (uk) of china, but in sichuan.

I also found sichuan accents a bit difficult to decipher.
Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “Trip Reports, Travel Experiences, Expat Stories”