I remember visiting Hangzhou back in 2009. West lake was my favorite spot to hang out. People were very friendly there.

Beautiful city! I especially enjoyed the view of the tree lined canal. When you were walking along the lake,, I saw large, bowl shaped objects in the naked branches of the trees, and wondered if they were nests. If so, what kind of bird made them? The mandarin ducks were so colorful! No wonder they inspire artists, and embroiderers! The bouze (?) reminded me of the Xianxia series, Back From The Brink, they're the Female Lead's favorite food! The only Xianxia, I've watched, where the Male Lead is a fire breathing dragon! Most of the dragons I've come across in Xianxia, control water! Loved seeing the pleasure cruise boats! Especially the one with the dragon! Wonderful walking tour! Thanks! 👍💙💚💛🧡❤️💜✌️🖖

@chopsticksandtrains

4 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video! I noticed those nests that you mentioned… I’m honestly not sure about them. They are so perfectly round that they almost looked fake. Yeah, those baozi are good, these in particular are xiaolongbao but you have to find a place that actually makes them well. They are REALLY. good if you can find some legit ones!

@wheezysqueezebox7651

4 ай бұрын

@@chopsticksandtrains Those nests were perfectly round, and very big! There seemed to be about 2, in each tree! Must have been made by large birds!

@wheezysqueezebox7651

4 ай бұрын

@@chopsticksandtrains The baozi, that featured so prominently in Back From The Brink, were not the thin skinned variety, they looked more like buns! Thanks!

In 2004 went there 10 times at least, went I was in Shanghai. Was a great place to visit. It was like going on holiday during the weekend❤❤❤

This is a refreshing video about China. Thanks! 🙂

Mr. Chopsticks, I must commend you on your impeccable Mandarin pronunciation! It's truly impressive to hear you speak without your original accent. Your mastery of the language is admirable and deserving of utmost respect. Well done! 👍👍👍

@chopsticksandtrains

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for the good words!

@darkhorseinamerica1935

3 ай бұрын

@@chopsticksandtrains Hey, seriously, you're good! You've been putting in all the effort with your studies, so you deserve the credit. Now, here's a funny one for you. So, there's this foreigner living in China, probably shorter than you have. And get this: he's trying to say "xiao long bao - 小笼包," but he ends up saying "xiao long pao - 小龙袍" instead! Can you imagine? Mixing up dumplings with dragon robes! I couldn't help but burst out into laughing (I know, that wasn't nice!!), but hey, we've all had our slip-ups-just a little reminder about the importance of nailing those pronunciations. You've got it covered, so you should be proud of your achievement.

Once I was there wandering in drizzle and feels like heaven. There are many other scenic spots around West Lake and each has its own unique beauty, such as灵隐寺，九溪十八涧, but I don't know how to name them in English.Despite the many modern buildings emerged in recent years, my fondest memories of Hangzhou still reside in its natural landscapes.

@chopsticksandtrains

4 ай бұрын

Is Hangzhou your hometown? Yeah, great city! Thanks for sharing that!

@kyro_zx2606

3 ай бұрын

I used to study and work there and have good memories.@@chopsticksandtrains

Love your videos man, sooo much information. Hope we can meet. I'm a prolific bird watcher too. Especially birds of prey!

@chopsticksandtrains

3 ай бұрын

Appreciate it my man! I bet you can find some cool birds down in Cambodia! I'm stoked to see what I can see down there! Stay blessed!

@SavedinSvay

3 ай бұрын

@chopsticksandtrains There is alot of birds but they're different from the UK haha I only recognise sparrows 🤣 hopefully you can educate me if we meet.

4:24 MAN I LOVE YOU, YOU ARE SO COOL. I also like birdwatching, a solid quarter of my bookshelf consists of Audubon Society nature books, BOTH Peterson and Princeton field and pocket guides, as well as Sibley's and Stokes's guides, those little Golden Field Guides and right as I type this I have two giant books about birds from National Geographic and DK on my desk lmao. Birds are awesome You are cool man, you are like my favorite person on KZread now. I know from watching Winston and C-Milk that there aren't many birds in China anymore; Do you think you could make a video about the lack of birds in China, bird watching and Chinese attitudes towards conservation and wildlife?

@chopsticksandtrains

4 ай бұрын

Oh, a fellow birder! Nice to know! Cities in China are lacking in birds compared to other parts of the world. But there are some areas where there is plenty of good birding to be done. Lots of magpies up where I live. And, that’s a good idea for a video! Could probably make a feature length documentary about it! Appreciate the good words my friend! 🙂🕊🦜

I love Hangzhou. It's my favorite Chinese city outside of old Shanghai. Is the Porsche dealership still around the lake?

@chopsticksandtrains

4 ай бұрын

It could be… I didn’t notice it though!

I vlogged at tianducheng 2 years ago. It took a while to get there then. I’m glad they finished the metro there.

@chopsticksandtrains

4 ай бұрын

Hey Funkmaster! No kidding? Cool, I’m gonna check out your vid! (Soon, on the road right now…)

Been to Hangzhou several times with work. West lake is nice, however it does get busy around the lake

As a local Hangzhou, I have not been to the lake for two years at least.

@chopsticksandtrains

4 ай бұрын

What’s your favorite 浙菜？

@oscarl2334

3 ай бұрын

@@chopsticksandtrains浙江是美食荒漠，few delicious dishes 😂

@swooshkang

3 ай бұрын

@@chopsticksandtrains duck tongue obviously. BTW, Hangzhou cuisine is definitely the least appreciated food in the province while the snack in Wenzhou is the most interesting to me.

掛在竹杆上的不是干鸭而是腌咸鹅非常好吃！

No doubt it was a very delicious breakfast, but do you know how many calories are in those eight XLBs? A google search turns up an estimate of 375 calories.... EACH. Let's see, that's 3,000 calories - not counting the tea egg and rice porridge. So, the question arises - how can it be that Chinese people eat like this and not get fat? It doesn't seem fair!

@chopsticksandtrains

4 ай бұрын

Dude… you’ve gotta be kidding? That’s shocking to me because they don’t really have many fatty or ultra high calorie ingredients as far as I know. A lot of Chinese aren’t all that slim anymore. They’re getting ‘bigger’ these days. Still slim compared to the West though, I suppose. Obesity is skyrocketing amongst children and skinny-fat is the new norm amongst men.

@remmond3769

4 ай бұрын

Quit exaggerating. It's 375 calories for 7 dumplings.

@remmond3769

4 ай бұрын

I mean unless you really believe a tiny dumpling has more calories than an efin burger which is just 🤯

Impressive and recent video (as of Sunday 25th February 2024 at any rate)....

@chopsticksandtrains

3 ай бұрын

Thank you Peter

According to William Shakespeare, Fargo ND is the greatest city on earth.

India cooks naan in the same type of oven. You have to be careful as it is easy to burn your hand.

@chopsticksandtrains

3 ай бұрын

Yeah, for sure. I thought that while watching him... better be careful

You didnt go to shanghai😮

You know , your voice reminds me of an actor whose name is Jesse Pinkman from the TV show Breaking bad.

@chopsticksandtrains

3 ай бұрын

Cool, I like that dude…

we say those portions are rabbit food 山外青山楼外楼，西湖歌舞几时休，暖风熏得烙翔醉，直把杭州作贺南😜

Who is Marco Polo 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

It's a terrible place. There's nothing really to see as "historical" everything is newly made up. It's dirty, crowded and expensive for no reason.

@Max-yp1iw

4 ай бұрын

Not true lol

@andrewzhang985

3 ай бұрын

You're talking bollocks, troll.

@jamestehan972

3 ай бұрын

No you are fake

@RoamingChronicles_1

3 ай бұрын

You most be freaking delusional That city is more cleaner than all of the cities in the western worlds combined

@Itward985

3 ай бұрын

Go to the hospital and see what's wrong.

I am glad you stumbled into 楼外楼, certainly the most famous restaurant in the city. If you go there during the day time, the view is out of this world.

The people there are better

Mandarin ducks are a very romantic bird that always appear in pairs. 鸳鸯 you can understand it literally as pairs. ❤❤