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Ode To Joy - Life in Shanghai
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The “Ode to Joy” I am referring to here isn’t the piece of music composed by Beethoven. It‘s the title of a TV series in China, which is very popular right now. The series is about the lives of five girls who live in Shanghai. The neighborhood they live in is called “Ode to Joy.”
I normally don’t watch TV series because I think they're a waste of time. But when all the people around me are talking about this series nonstop, I have to know what it's about, otherwise I won't be able to get a word in. In order to save time, I started by first watching the first few episodes, then reading about the plot online and then finally watching the newest episodes to finish off the series. :)
Living in Shanghai is very expensive. It is nearly impossible for young people to buy an apartment unless their parents are rich. So, five girls who come from different family backgrounds make the show both complex and interesting. Rich people in China are super rich, so it's no surprise that they afford real estate in NYC, Sydney, or London. For example, it has been reported recently that a young Chinese college student spend 31 M Canadian dollars to buy a luxury house in Vancouver.
I’ve been to Shanghai several times, and I don’t like the city. People have to work extremely hard to make enough money to afford an apartment, without which they are otherwise not able to obtain what's called a "hukou", which in turn means they're not "really" Shanghainese in the eyes of the law. Because of this, there're some social services and rights that they're not entitled to. Thus, the folks in Shanghai are making the tradeoff of exchanging incredibly hard work during a major part of their youth for a ticket to some uncertain, future lottery.
I normally don’t watch TV series because I think they're a waste of time. But when all the people around me are talking about this series nonstop, I have to know what it's about, otherwise I won't be able to get a word in. In order to save time, I started by first watching the first few episodes, then reading about the plot online and then finally watching the newest episodes to finish off the series. :)
Living in Shanghai is very expensive. It is nearly impossible for young people to buy an apartment unless their parents are rich. So, five girls who come from different family backgrounds make the show both complex and interesting. Rich people in China are super rich, so it's no surprise that they afford real estate in NYC, Sydney, or London. For example, it has been reported recently that a young Chinese college student spend 31 M Canadian dollars to buy a luxury house in Vancouver.
I’ve been to Shanghai several times, and I don’t like the city. People have to work extremely hard to make enough money to afford an apartment, without which they are otherwise not able to obtain what's called a "hukou", which in turn means they're not "really" Shanghainese in the eyes of the law. Because of this, there're some social services and rights that they're not entitled to. Thus, the folks in Shanghai are making the tradeoff of exchanging incredibly hard work during a major part of their youth for a ticket to some uncertain, future lottery.
《欢乐颂》
我这里说的《欢乐颂》，不是贝多芬的名曲，而是一部最近在中国很火的电视剧。这部电视剧讲的是5个生活在上海的女孩的故事。她们住的小区叫做“欢乐颂”。
我一般不看电视，觉得浪费时间。但周围所有人都在讨论这个电视剧，我也要知道它讲的是啥，不然插不上话呀。为了节省时间，我只看了前面几集，然后就在网上搜下故事情节，然后再去看最后一集，大功告成！
在上海，生活成本很昂贵。如果家庭条件不富裕，年轻人买房靠自己几乎不可能。剧中五位女生家庭背景不同，所以剧情复杂有趣。中国有钱人真是超级有钱，所以在纽约，悉尼，伦敦买房产不是什么新鲜事。前不久报道说，一个中国大学生在温哥华买了一套3,110万加元的豪华别墅。
我去过上海几次，也不喜欢这个城市。人们拼命努力，只为买上海一套公寓。如果没买房，就没有户口，不能享有很多权利。现在房产和权利都绑定在一起了，所以上海人努力工作，用他们的青春去买一张通往明日成功的彩票。
我这里说的《欢乐颂》，不是贝多芬的名曲，而是一部最近在中国很火的电视剧。这部电视剧讲的是5个生活在上海的女孩的故事。她们住的小区叫做“欢乐颂”。
我一般不看电视，觉得浪费时间。但周围所有人都在讨论这个电视剧，我也要知道它讲的是啥，不然插不上话呀。为了节省时间，我只看了前面几集，然后就在网上搜下故事情节，然后再去看最后一集，大功告成！
在上海，生活成本很昂贵。如果家庭条件不富裕，年轻人买房靠自己几乎不可能。剧中五位女生家庭背景不同，所以剧情复杂有趣。中国有钱人真是超级有钱，所以在纽约，悉尼，伦敦买房产不是什么新鲜事。前不久报道说，一个中国大学生在温哥华买了一套3,110万加元的豪华别墅。
我去过上海几次，也不喜欢这个城市。人们拼命努力，只为买上海一套公寓。如果没买房，就没有户口，不能享有很多权利。现在房产和权利都绑定在一起了，所以上海人努力工作，用他们的青春去买一张通往明日成功的彩票。
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It's the title of a TV series in China, which is very popular right now.
By now, I suggest you to use more shorthand forms like it's. It's faster, can sound better (less robotic) and so forth.
I normally don’t watch TV series because I think they're a waste of time.
If you didn't say series, but just TV, then it would've been okay to say "it is". But since you're referring to series and that's plural, "they're - they are" matches that much better.
But when all the people around me are talking about this series, I have to know what it's about, otherwise I won't be able to get a word in at all.
In order to save time, I only watched the latest episodes of the series, skimmed the earlier parts of the plot online, and got back to watching the last episode.
It was a little tough to understand how you were trying to say things.
The rich people in China are super rich, so it's no surprise that they squander money to buy real estate overseas in NYC, Sydney, or London.
It has recently been reported that a young Chinese college student spent 3,110 Canadian dollars to buy a luxury house in Vancouver.
People have to work extremely hard to make enough money to afford an apartment, without which they are otherwise not able to obtain what's called a "hukou", which in turn means they're not "real" Shanghainese in the eyes of the law. Because of this, there's some social services and rights they're not privy to.Or: Because of this, there's some social services/rights they don't have access to, just because real-estate ownership is tied to your rights as a citizen.
Phew, long-winded huh, hahaha. I only did that because your English is excellent and you stand to gain from that.
For that reason, the folks in Shanghai are making the trade-off of incredibly hard work in exchange for giving away a major part of their youth for some uncertain future lottery ticket.
In american English folks can refer to your family though. I would've stuck to saying people.
Well written bro!
I'm surprised you don't like Shanghai and indeed, it's quite sad you need real-estate to have the same rights as everyone else. I have friends who live in Shanghai though and they're by no means rich :).
Your English is really good. You just have to use more shorthand writing.
You can definitely use the shorthand way. In fact, if you don't, I'd say you're doing it wrong. You can see how I'm doing it already. Otherwise it would look like:
You can definitely use the shorthand way. In fact, if you do not, I would say you are doing it wrong. You can see how I am doing it already.
It's not *wrong* to do it or not do it. But you should at least be comfortable with both. I always use shorthand though, because it's quicker, less robotic and more natural for me. For instance, if you say "It is true" instead of "It's true" when asked about something, it could give a different impression of you; especially if you speak slowly.
I'm glad you like the song hahaha.
The “Ode to Joy” I am referring to here isn’t the piece of music composed by Beethoven.
But when all the people around me are talking about this series nonstop, I have to know what it's about, or I won't be able to get a word in edgewise.
In order to save time, I started by first watching the first few episodes, then reading about the plot online and then finally watching the newest episodes to finish off the series.
So, five girls who come from different family backgrounds make the show both complicated and interesting.
This is a completely optional edit. I just think it sounds smoother.
It has been reported recently that a young Chinese college student spent 31 M Canadian dollars to buy a luxury house in Vancouver.
Intersting take! I've seen a few episodes of the show in my Chinese class. Do you believe it is worth finishing?
As for the storyline, I don't think it deserves your time. But watching it is a good way to learn Chinese. The language is real and there are lots of useful slangs in it. It has subtitles..
I think watching TV series is in most cases is a waste of time. But if you have to pick one in order to enjoy yourself and learn the language, I recommend "Nirvana in Fire/The Disguiser". I saw many English native speaker write essays about these two popular series.
The “Ode to Joy” I am referring to here isn’t the piece of music composed by Beethoven.
But when all the people everyone around me is talking about it nonstop, I have to know what it's about. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise.
"But when everyone around me is going on and on about it" is also a possibility.
In order to save time, In order to save time, I watched the first few episodes, read about the plot online, and then finally watched the latest episodes to finish off the series :)
So five girls who come from different family backgrounds make the show both complicated complex and interesting.
"complicated" has a bit of a negative meaning. For example, if the show is complicated, it is confusing and you can't understand the story. But if the show is complex, it makes you think a lot.
Rich people in China are super rich, so it's no surprise that they squander/blow money to buy real estate overseas in NYC, Sydney, or London.
"squander money" and "blow money" both mean to waste money, but "squander" makes me think of spending money unwisely until there is none left (gambling, betting, etc.).
For example, it has been reported recently that a young Chinese college student spent 31 M Canadian dollars to buy a luxury house in Vancouver.
People have to work extremely hard/endless hours to be able to afford an apartment; without which they are otherwise, they are not able to obtain what is called a "hukou", which in turn means they're not "really" Shanghainese in the eyes of the law.
You can say "real" Shanghainese too, that's perfectly fine grammatically. But for me, it sounds natural to use Shanghainese as an adjective, not a noun.
Because of this, there are some social services and rights that they're not privy entitled to.
For that reason, the folks in Shanghai are making an astounding tradeoff by exchanging hard work in exchange for giving away a major part of their youth to participate in some uncertain future lottery ticket.
Hey, long time no see! Your English is excellent, as always. Most of my suggestions are to make it sound more natural, as a native speaker would write. :)
The series is about the life/lives of five girls who live in Shanghai.
"lives" sounds better to me, but "life" isn't wrong
In order to save time, I started by first watching the first few episodes, then reading about the plot online and then finally watching the newest episodes to finish off the series. :)
I'm so nitpicky.... ;-)
The rich people in China are super rich, so it's no surprise that they squander money on real estate (overseas) in NYC, Sydney, or London.
"Squander money on" is better than "squander money to buy."
I would omit "overseas" because those three cities are obviously overseas.
Because of this, there are some social services and rights that they're not privy entitled to.
"not privy to" means "they don't know about it"
For that reason, (I feel that) the folks in Shanghai are making the tradeoff of exchanging incredibly hard work during a major part of their youth for a ticket to some uncertain, future lottery.
That is the reason/basis for your perception, I think.
If that's not what you mean, you could change "For that reason" to "Thus":
"Thus, the folks in Shanghai...."
Well done. I feel the same way about living in Shanghai, and owning over-priced real estate.