Samuel had always appreciated architecture, which was why he had insisted on hiring a top-tier architect to design his new office. So how ironic that it would be here - in the iconic glass lobby that had symbolized his success - that he would end both his career and his life. It had not been an easy choice, but what other could he make? In the last week everything he had lived for had been taken away in an elaborate and cruel con game in which even his closest friends and relatives seemed complicit.Learning Chinese? In our Chinese lesson for today, Brendan, David, Echo and take to our studios to talk about scams in Chinese. This lesson features a fast and natural-speed dialogue involving a man on the brink, so if your mandarin is already at the intermediate level, join us for both it, as well as a discussion on common scams in China and the language you need to know to talk about them. And let us know what you think in the comments section below.
rbagnarol
said on July 25, 2012
真好笑啊。單身的男士都要多小心一點,這也包括我在内 >
craigrut
said on July 25, 2012
我们只需要两亿万美元然后我们就开锁这个王子的账户!
paulmccarthy79
said on August 19, 2012
Three young Chinese people tried the teahouse scam on my girlfriend and I in Shanghai in March. Having asked us where we were from, they began listing all the places they wanted to travel to in the UK, including some really obscure commuter towns - Reading, Swindon - and post-industrial wastelands - Redcar, Cleethorpes - that no one ever wants to go to. It was so obvious they'd learned these places off a map, that when they asked us to go to a tea ceremony I just laughed in their faces. They got the point
jmainardi
said on August 20, 2012
I lived in Qingdao for nearly 3 years and never heard of the "teahouse scam." Maybe it only happens in bigger cities like Beijing and Shanghai? What exactly is the scam ... is it just to lure people into a teahouse and then charge them ridiculous prices?
Echo
said on August 20, 2012
@jmainardi,What exactly is the scam ... is it just to lure people into a teahouse and then charge them ridiculous prices?--Yes, they have different ways to lure people into the teahouse though. Some are like what paulmccarthy79 said, they try to get to know you first on the street and then invite you to a teahouse with them. Or if you are a single man, some girls may try to date you and take you to a teahouse... All kinds. And of course, whatever methods they use, the ultimate goal is to make you pay a lot of money for their tea.--Echo[email protected]
maminglei
said on August 20, 2012
Oh I see... I'm a victim! Had this in 2003 when I first went to Shanghai for uni exchange - a pretty girl picked me on Nanjing Dong Lu and took me to this expensive tea house. It felt like rip-off for a young lad with student budget, but really it was just 几百块人民币。Later I've had business meetings in more expensive tea rooms so looking back this scam doesn't seem so bad... at least there was a pretty girl instead of those chain-smoking middle aged guys! Plus it taught me a good lesson to always negotiate the price first before consuming anything in China.