Week 25

WELCOME TO CHINATOWNDay 1

(Thanks to Clare Pechon, Independence, Lousiana) for voc. slides.

Vocabulary

destinationsDestinations are

the places people are going

to.What are your favorite weekend

destinations?

aspectsThe aspects of a place or thing are its features and elements.

What aspects of your community appeal to you?

vigorouslyIf you do something vigorously, you do it with energy and enthusiasm.

If you are swimming, what

might you do vigorously?

reconstructTo reconstruct something that has been damaged or destroyed means to rebuild it.

How might you reconstruct a broken

kite?

gorgeousA gorgeous person

or thing is attractive and

stunning.

What kind of flower do you think is the most

gorgeous? Why?

festiveSomething that is festive is colorful and exciting.

Name one holiday that you think is

festive.

ornateSomething that is ornate is decorated with a lot of complicated patterns.

How could you make a birthday cake look

ornate?

symbolizeIf an animal or an object symbolizes something, it represents that thing.

What does an eagle symbolize for Americans?

expectantlyWhen you wait expectantly for

something, you eagerly look forward to it.

Why might someone look out the window

expectantly?

misfortuneMisfortune is something unlucky or unpleasant that happens to someone.

What is one type of misfortune you would

like to avoid?

Practice book p. 143

Building Background

Kim: Hello again, everyone, and welcome to another episode of New Destinations! I’m Kim Richards, and with me, as always, is my co-host, Tom Taylor. Tom: Hi, everyone! Today’s new destination is one that’s rich in history and culture. Today, Kim and I welcome you to Chinatown!

Kim: We have a great show planned for you! Today, you’ll learn about Chinatown’s history as part of San Francisco and California. We’ll also talk about Chinatown’s architecture and other aspects of the area that make it unique.Tom: Then we’ll tell you about some of the interesting things you can do when you visit Chinatown.

Kim: We hope to give you a sense of what it’s like to visit and to live in this unusual community. Tom: You might even become curious enough to want to see for yourself the remarkable things we describe! Kim: Let’s start by turning things over to Garrett and Maria, our history correspondents.

Garrett: Thanks, Kim. There are Chinatowns in major cities all over the world. San Francisco’s Chinatown is one of the oldest. It’s also the third-largest Chinatown in North America. Maria: That’s right, Garrett. As old as it is, however, this Chinatown is not the one that was built by Chinese immigrants in the 1850s. That Chinatown was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Garrett: The earthquake and the fires caused by the earthquake destroyed more than 500 city blocks! Maria: The first large groups of Chinese immigrants made the journey to the United States in the 1850s. The immigrants came here for opportunities to earn a suitable living by working on the railroads.

Garrett: Many immigrants also came hoping to find gold in California. The California gold rush of 1848 brought miners from all over the world. Maria: These first immigrants settled in what is today the heart of Chinatown. They built homes, opened restaurants, and started businesses.

Garrett: After the earthquake, the residents worked vigorously to reconstruct Chinatown. To encourage tourists to visit, they designed the buildings and streets with the features that everyone now recognizes as typical of Chinatown. Maria: Starting in the 1950s, more groups of Chinese immigrants settled in the United States.

Garrett: The population of San Francisco’s Chinatown boomed. New residents built smaller Chinatowns in neighboring areas, but the original Chinatown is still the one tourists visit most often. Back to you, Kim and Tom. Tom: Thanks, Garrett and Maria. Chinatown is such an interesting place to visit!

Kim: It’s a major tourist attraction. Did you know that Chinatown attracts more visitors than San Francisco’s famous landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge? Tom: One of the main streets in Chinatown is Grant Avenue. Our on-the-street correspondents, Connor and Aimee, are there now to tell us what people can see and do on Grant Avenue.

Connor: Thanks, Tom. Here on Grant Avenue colorful lanterns, curved roofs, and gorgeous columns carved from stone all give Chinatown its festive look.

Aimee: They definitely do, Connor! Grant Avenue is also where you’ll find the famous Dragon Gate, an arch that stands at the southern entrance to Chinatown. The Dragon Gate gets its name from the two ornate dragon sculptures that sit on top of the arch.

Connor: On Grant Avenue you’ll find many restaurants and shops. You can buy the perfect souvenir to remember your visit! Aimee: Be sure to visit Portsmouth Square, too. There’s always something interesting going on there.

Connor: In the mornings, you can watch groups of people practicing tai chi. It’s a form of Chinese exercise that helps people develop better balance and flexibility. Aimee: We’ll be back a little later in the program to tell you about the Chinese New Year parade, which will be starting here in just a few minutes! For now, let’s go back to Kim and Tom.

Kim: Chinatown has many interesting grocery stores and markets. You might be surprised by how different they are from the supermarket where you shop!

Tom: Chinatown grocers import many of the items they sell from countries in Asia. They provide the ingredients to area restuarants, where you can eat Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, and Malaysian food. For a report on all the great food and shopping in Chinatown, let’s go to Emily and Monica, live at the Good Luck Grocery on Stockton Street!

Emily: Thank you, Tom! For many years, markets like the Good Luck Grocery were the only places you could get things like jasmine rice from Thailand, oolong tea from China, or oyster sauce from the Philippines.

Monica: A market in Chinatown may also sell fish and other select seafood items. Don’t be surprised if you see large aquariums filled with fish, lobsters, and crabs in a Chinatown market. Seafood is a popular ingredient in traditional Chinese recipes.

Emily: Depending on what time of year you visit Chinatown, you might find different things at the market. For example, around the time of the Chinese New Year, usually near the end of January, you’ll find many people buying oranges and tangerines.

Monica: In Chinese culture, oranges and tangerines symbolize happiness. People give them as New Year’s gifts to friends and relatives. In fact, the Chinese word for “orange,” ju, sounds a lot like the word for “good luck” in Chinese!

Emily: The markets are not the only places you can buy fruits and vegetables in Chinatown. When you walk down Grant Avenue, you’ll see street vendors with carts just about everywhere!

Monica: In Chinese culture, oranges and tangerines symbolize happiness. People give them as New Year’s gifts to friends and relatives. In fact, the Chinese word for “orange,” ju, sounds a lot like the word for “good luck” in Chinese!

Emily: The markets are not the only places you can buy fruits and vegetables in Chinatown. When you walk down Grant Avenue, you’ll see street vendors with carts just about everywhere! Monica: These merchants also sell newspapers, clothes, and souvenirs. You could spend an entire day just looking at what everyone has for sale.

Emily: You can also go into the many shops that line the street. Like the markets, these shops import much of what they sell from countries in Asia. Monica: Of course, no visit to Chinatown would be complete without a meal. You’ll have no trouble finding a restaurant. The hard part will be choosing which one to try!

Emily: Many restaurants in Chinatown serve dim sum in the afternoon. Dim sum means “heart’s delight.” Dim sum menus offer a lot of choices, but everything comes in small portions, so you can try a lot of different things. Monica: A typical order consists of steamed buns and dumplings filled with a mixture of beef, chicken, or pork and vegetables. Tea is also served with dim sum.

Emily: If you’re in a large group, everyone can order different things. Sharing and trying what everyone orders is part of the fun of eating dim sum! Kim and Tom, you have to get over here to try this! Tom: Thanks, Emily! Save us some if you can!

Kim: If you intend to go to Chinatown, think about visiting when the Chinese celebrate the New Year. As you may recall, Emily said earlier that the Chinese New Year usually falls around the end of January.Tom: Chinese New Year is among the most important traditional Chinese holidays. The celebration lasts for fifteen days. Let’s go back now to Connor and Aimee for their report on the parade.

Aimee: Thanks again, Tom. On the first day of the celebration, you’ll see throngs of people along the streets. They’re expectantly waiting for the Chinese New Year parade and the lion dancers.

Connor: Lion dancing plays an important part in any Chinese New Year celebration. The tradition of the lion dance can be traced back more than a thousand years in Chinese culture!

Aimee: Lion dance performers wear a lion costume, which usually has a very large head. A single performer operates the head, moving its eyes and jaw, while dancing energetically.

Connor: Sometimes a pair of dancers operates a lion costume. The second dancer forms the back and the rear legs of the lion. This requires coordination and practice. The two dancers huddled under the costume must move together perfectly.

Aimee: To those who celebrate the Chinese New Year, the lion symbolizes courage. Performing the lion dance is believed to frighten away misfortune. Connor: Residents celebrate the fifteenth day of the New Year with the Lantern Festival. On the night of the Lantern Festival, you’ll see children everywhere carrying lanterns with many complex shapes and designs.

Aimee: You’ll also find parades during the Lantern Festival. Light fills the streets as lanterns of every shape and color brighten the night. Back to you, Kim and Tom. Tom: Thank you, Aimee! Thanks to all our correspondents for their interesting reports on our show today.

Kim: Thank you for joining us. No matter what time of year you choose to visit Chinatown, you’ll have a wonderful experience. We’ll see you again soon, on the next episode of New Destinations!Tom: Good bye!