Shadowing Practice: Eileen Gu Takes Beijing | OFF DAY - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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I feel like I want to be a food ASMR person now.
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This is amazing!
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International skiing superstar Eileen Gu has brought this crowd to a team.
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Bringing home three medals at just 18 years old.
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I'm Eileen Gu and I can't wait to show you how I spend my off day in one of my favorite cities.
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Beijing.
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We're looking forward.
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Who's that?
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If you can keep up.
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But let's take a photo.
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That's probably what heaven tastes like.
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Most of my life is spent on the road.
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So I always look forward to a delicious Beijing breakfast.
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So in front of me right now, I have this incredible spread of breakfast foods.
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This is Dà Nien, which is like kind of a potsticker you can think of it.
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It has meat inside.
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This is Jà Gao, so it's like a kind of sticky rice.
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This is Yú Kiao, but in English I guess it's sometimes translated to a Chinese donut.
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It's savory, it's crispy, it's crunchy, and you can dip it into soybean milk to kind of just like bring all the flavors together.
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This is tofu na'a.
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Really umami, savory broth.
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I grew up eating this.
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I'm a big breakfast person, so if you want to talk about macros, we pretty much have everything in front of us.
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The joke with my mom that I have is dumplings are the most balanced meal because you have your carb, you have your fiber, you have your protein, you have your fat, all in one.
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I am a huge foodie.
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I do have a secret food review page.
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No, I'm not going to drop the handle.
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I don't follow it on my main, so don't even try to find it.
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Listen to that.
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Yeah, nothing better. So good.
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One thing I love about Chinese food is it's so easy to pack.
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So for me, as someone who's always on the road, it's really easy to like have a jiucai huesl in my pocket, which is like the famous chive dumpling that I took a bite out of at the Olympics.
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If you've never been to Beijing, you're in for a treat.
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I'm heading to one of my favorite areas to explore, Beihai Park.
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There are a number of major parks and palaces in Beijing.
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So currently we are headed to Beihai Park.
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I'm gonna be meeting my mom there and we're gonna be having tea together.
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My mom is my biggest supporter to say the least.
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We go everywhere and do everything together.
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This is where they used to have tea a hundred years ago. So...
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Wow.
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She grew up in Beijing, so we really share the love for the little snacks.
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Fangshan Tea House is still serving up imperial-style tea and snacks just like they did back in the days of emperors.
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The tea is one of the most known green tea in China too.
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It's called Longjian.
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I think this is a prime example of Chinese desserts.
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It's definitely not as sweet as Western desserts.
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So for example, in this one, it's walnut, peanut, black sesame, a little bit of salt, egg yolk, but the whole thing is sweet.
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This one has mango mousse inside of it, the lotus one.
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And this one is persimmon on the outside and carrot filling in the inside.
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When I was a little kid, my mom used to take me here for tea.
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And then since she was one, I would take her here to have this.
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Was she a precocious kid?
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She has always been precocious.
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I think ever since she was three months old.
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There was an old woman in this body.
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Give up. So good.
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It is sweet.
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You should have a taste.
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You guys actually have to.
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Try one of these too, because they're also my favorite.
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But these are actually the Empress.
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No, the Empress's favorite?
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Yeah, this one and this one.
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I'm going to try the Empress's favorite.
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That one's my favorite too.
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Now it's time for another side quest.
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Peking University, my mom's alma mater.
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And rather than spend more time in the car, I'm taking advantage of Beijing's amazing footpaths to squeeze in a workout.
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Beautiful!
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Like 80% of the time you'll run past
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and it's just enough time for people to like recognize your face and get excited.
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But my favorite are the really dedicated ones who will try to cut me down.
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And like my rule is like I try to stop during runs.
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If you can keep up, let's take a photo.
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Like, let's hang out!
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My first route, I couldn't resist running around Beihai Park
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and then through Beijing's streets for a bit before hopping a quick ride to PKU.
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For Route 2, I'm looping around the lake and cruising past some classic campus scenery.
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I run by myself always, except for my mom.
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We are running on Peking University's campus and it is absolutely stunning.
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My mom, she would take me here when I was younger.
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I don't remember a ton because I was very little.
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She told me that it put Stanford's campus, really gave Stanford's campus a run for its money.
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And I didn't believe her because what could possibly give Stanford's campus a run for its money?
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I think this is definitely off there.
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Isn't this beautiful?
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Look at the lake because that's where I used to ice skate.
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Running, in my opinion, is the best way to see a city on foot.
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You are able to kind of maneuver and navigate in a way you can't in a car.
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It takes you places that are totally unexpected, and if you see an interesting side alleyway, you can go explore it immediately.
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It's also just so accessible, and it's always really surprising.
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If you plan your visit, you know exactly what you're going to get.
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With running, you never know exactly what you're going to get.
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Anytime I'm in Beijing, I like to drop by a few of the stores from brands I love.
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Anta is always on that list.
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I really like their athletic line and running shoes.
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And since my schedule is always jam-packed, I'm also working with a second camera crew today for a Chinese language documentary series.
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Work smarter, not harder, right?
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So yeah, technically not a full off day, but honestly I love this stuff, even in sub-zero temperatures.
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We're going into this ice rube right now.
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Oh my god, it's really cold in here.
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It's going to go in the Arctic.
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Bye!
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Bye!
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Thank you!
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Thank you!
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Thank you!
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Thank you!
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All that work has my stomach grumbling.
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Luckily, there's no shortage of street food in Beijing.
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So this is candied hawthorn.
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I would liken it most to a sour cherry, but more bite to it.
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It's kind of more of a traditional winter thing, but you can buy it in little streets and alleyways of Beijing, and this is a very Beijing specialty.
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I grew up eating it and I love it.
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This outside thing is actually edible, so you can just take a bite out of it.
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I really love sour things, and so the sour and the sweet together really reminds me of Beijing in the winter.
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It wouldn't be an off day without a quick shopping stop.
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This area that we're in right now, Taguli, Sunnytun, is one of the most stylish places to see and be seen in Beijing.
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You'll just see all these incredibly dressed, beautiful people.
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You would think that they're on their way to Fashion Week and they're literally walking around the streets.
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It's incredible.
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I think that's kind of my big thing.
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And then also kind of sporty and urban because all of these are real parts of me
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and facets that make me unique.
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And so being able to express that through what I wear is really my goal.
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Oh, this is cute.
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This is how many people wear?
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Yeah.
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Coming from a male-dominated sport, it's surprising to people, the way that I dress or the way that I look.
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Your first impression is what someone is wearing, how they carry themselves before they even open their mouth.
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And so you kind of form an opinion opinion of what you think this person is going to be, and then they can open their mouth and totally break every expectation that you've ever had.
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And that element of surprise is what really keeps me excited and motivated.
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There's just enough time to fit in one last activity before dinner.
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When I want to saddle up, this is my go-to spot in Beijing, Western Giant Equestrian Club.
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I learned to ride when I was six or seven in China, and I just really fell in love with it.
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Even got to like competing in show jumping, which was just the ultimate side quest.
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Go outside!
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We were in a digital world.
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We were a teacher who used to use a phone.
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We were able to see the phone.
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We were able to use a computer to see the camera.
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At the end of the day, the whole field was really big.
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Coach Fah is my equestrian coach from age 9 onward.
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He's also a snowboarding traumatic.
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I've been trying to convert him for like 10 years, but to no avail.
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skiing or post-rack riding, I think the sense of motion is very shared as far as knowing where you are in space.
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Like as you're moving, you have to be like 30 feet ahead of where you are.
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There's a lot of skiers on the mountain, you gotta see where everyone is, you don't hit anyone.
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And it's the same here, there's a lot of horses out.
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My little baby, what's that?
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Oh, you want more?
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Mmm, crunchy.
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After all that cardio, it's dinner time.
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I'm heading to meet a few friends at Dà Dòng to share one of Beijing's iconic dishes, the savory and decadent Peking duck.
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When it's done traditionally, the skin should be perfectly crispy, and the meat full of juicy flavor.
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I want to go to Argentina to get the beef.
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We've had a bunch of really fun adventures all over the world.
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And then Beijing is the place where we all meet up and congregate together.
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We were saying this dinner, everyone's flying in from different places and meeting up in the heart of where it all began.
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So that just makes it a really special place to be celebrating with really special people.
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Also today is the first day of autumn in Liqiu.
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So it's also a good time to be...
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I feel like it's so hot.
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It's not at all.
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Oh my god.
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You tell me you're running outside today.
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I have a challenge for her to be very nice.
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I have yet to find a place overseas that serves Peking duck like in Beijing.
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And so every time I'm in Beijing, it's an absolute must for me.
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The way that the skin crisps is absolutely unparalleled.
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The initial kind of crisp is just, it's mind-blowing, seriously.
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That's probably what heaven tastes like.
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Beijing will always be close to my heart.
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I'm so happy you could spend my off day experiencing it with me.
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Until next time, 再见!
About This Lesson
In this engaging lesson, learners will practice English speaking through a vibrant video featuring international skiing superstar Eileen Gu. The transcript shares her experiences and interactions in Beijing, focusing on her off-day leisure activities, food preferences, and family connections. You will improve your listening comprehension and learn how to express thoughts about food and culture, making it ideal for enhancing your english speaking practice.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- ASMR: Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, a tingling sensation often triggered by certain sounds.
- Dà Nien: A type of potsticker filled with meat, popular in Chinese cuisine.
- Jà Gao: Sticky rice dumpling, a traditional breakfast item.
- Yú Kiao: A savory Chinese donut that can be dipped in soybean milk.
- Umami: A taste sensation that is savory, often associated with foods high in glutamate.
- Jiucai huesl: A famous chive dumpling known for its portability and flavor.
- Longjian: A well-known type of green tea in China.
- Imperial-style tea: Traditional tea served in a ceremonial manner, reminiscent of ancient China.
Practice Tips
To maximize your learning from this video, follow these shadowing techniques:
- Use a shadowing app: Consider using a shadowing app to help you imitate Eileen's pronunciation and intonation in real-time. This can enhance your speaking skills significantly.
- Slow it down: Begin by playing the video at a slower speed. This allows you to grasp the words and phrases more easily, especially if you're new to shadowing.
- Repeat sections: Focus on short segments of 10-15 seconds. Repeat these until you feel comfortable before moving on to the next part.
- Listen and mimic: Pay attention to Eileen's tone and pace. Try to capture the warmth and enthusiasm in her voice using the shadowspeak method, which can make your speech sound more natural.
- Engage in conversations: After practicing with the video, discuss the mentioned food items or activities with a friend or language partner to reinforce your learning and improve your conversational skills.
Utilizing these methods effectively will enhance your english speaking practice and create a smoother learning curve as you immerse yourself in the rich cultural context shared by Eileen Gu.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.