Jul
14
2011
Xiamen video is up!
My longest travel video yet, in HD no less.
Nice trip! I love traveling by sea, and I regret I did not do it more in Japan when I had the chance to travel by boat.
I really enjoyed this video, especially the style. I really appreciate how you show the viewer what you’re seeing but you are not overbearing with commentary and opinions. I also enjoyed all of the landscape shots, spanning views, and regular shots of everyday life.
I won’t go overboard with questions but I always have some.
1) What was the “guqin”-like instrument the man was playing the the “hastle” with the sticks? It was like a cross between the xylophone and the piano or harpsichord.
2) What dialect of Chinese do the people speak in and around Xiamen? My Mandarin listening skills are next to nil, but I couldn’t help but feeling even more lost when the locals spoke in your video? Do most people speak Fujianese in and around Xiamen?
On a final note, I cannot help but feeling ashamed of South Carolina where I am living now. Xiamen and the neighboring areas are much more developed than South Carolina. One drive though the capital city of Columbia and you really have to feel ashamed.
Comment by Bryan — August 2, 2011 @ 9:12 pm
Glad you enjoyed it. As for your questions:
1. That was a yangqin.
2. They speak Minnan, quite similar to the Minnan spoken in Taiwan.
Comment by Poagao — August 2, 2011 @ 11:17 pm