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Why Sam's Club Is So Popular in China — A Beijing Spring Festival Shopping Story — episode cover art
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Why Sam's Club Is So Popular in China — A Beijing Spring Festival Shopping Story

About this story

Why Sam's Club, the American membership store, is winning Beijing shoppers — fresh food, convenience, and trust. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.

This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 8 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 15 key vocabulary words such as 新鲜、聪明、愿意 and walks through 5 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.

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原文

Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.

现在大家哪里买东西一个有意思话题
很多年前外国商店来到中国
时候大家觉得很新鲜
大家想去外国商店看一看
大家外国东西
但是现在情况一样
很多外国商店关门
它们离开中国
因为它们东西中国人不一定喜欢
但是一个美国商店一样
没有关门
很多新的
它的名字山姆
为什么做得很好
我们今天聊聊事情
首先我们知道这个商店美国
美国人们生活中国一样
美国东西中国人东西一样
如果这个商店只卖美国东西中国人可能喜欢
比如美国喜欢很大
但是中国人喜欢一样东西
所以这个商店开始改变
开始中国人喜欢东西
一个聪明做法
比如快到春节时候
春节中国最大节日
大家回家爸爸妈妈在一起
大家好吃
大家礼物朋友
这个商店准备很多春节礼物
一些中国传统
一些身体好的东西
比如一种很有身体好的
还有一些放在家里好看东西
这些东西美国可能不懂
但是中国人很喜欢
大家看到这些东西
大家觉得这个商店中国
所以大家愿意那里买东西
就是做的第一事情
第二事情关于东西大小
我们知道美国很大
美国房子很大
美国家里冰箱很大
而且美国人的家庭可能比较
所以他们买东西一次很多
他们一块有一公斤那么
但是中国一样
中国城市房子可能没有那么
东西地方不多
而且中国家庭比较
只有爸爸妈妈孩子
家庭只有个人或者个人
如果一块很大一次吃不完
放在哪里
一个问题
如果东西太大大家就不
这个商店看到这个问题
所以他们变小
以前公斤
现在只有四百五十或者八百
这样一块肉晚饭可以吃完
非常方便
大家不用担心
大家也不担心没有地方
因为这个改变更多人去
就是客人着想
客人需要什么商店就做什么
第三个事情关于商店哪里
以前这个商店只在城市
比如北京上海深圳
这些城市很多很多
但是现在城市商店已经很多
竞争非常
所以这个商店开始别的城市
去了一些一点城市
虽然城市但是那里生活很好
大家也有
大家也想好的东西
比如江苏一些城市
那里高兴
因为他们不用城市也能买到好的东西
所以商店非常
大家都在排队买东西
说明城市也有很多买东西
这个商店选择
我们看看别的商店
一个Costco商店也是美国
中国也有
但是它的比较
很慢
房子
需要很多时间需要很多
所以没有山姆开得
还有一些别的外国商店因为生意不好已经走了
所以山姆这个商店特别
虽然外国但是很像中国商店
知道中国人什么
知道中国人怎么日子
知道中国人怎么过节
知道中国家庭什么样子
就是成功原因
当然也有一些问题
因为开得太快时候问题
比如时候东西不太干净
或者东西质量不是最好的
大家担心事情
安全重要
如果东西不好大家生病
大家生气
所以这个商店老板他们注意
他们更多检查这些东西
他们保证东西好的
只有东西大家一直
如果东西不好便宜也没有
现在中国商店很多
中国自己商店做得很好
所以外国商店努力
如果努力改变就不能留下
我们刚才说的其实是关于山姆会员新闻
一个很有美国超市
中国做得很好本土化
本土化意思就是来到一个地方就要学习这个地方文化
就要这个地方喜欢东西
虽然很多外国超市关门但是山姆因为做了这些改变所以留下
东西变小为了适应中国家庭
中国新年礼物为了适应中国节日
就是为什么中国很多
English transcript reference

Speaking of where everyone goes to buy things nowadays, this is a very interesting topic.

Many years ago, foreign stores came to China.

At that time, everyone felt it was very fresh and novel.

Everyone wanted to go to the foreign stores to take a look.

Everyone wanted to buy foreign things.

However, the situation is different now.

Many foreign stores have closed down.

They have left China.

Because Chinese people don't necessarily like their products.

However, there is one American store that is different.

It did not close down.

It opened many new stores.

Its name is Sam's Club.

Why is it doing so well?

Let's talk about this matter today.

First, we need to know that this store is American.

In America, people's lives are different from China.

The food Americans eat is different from the food Chinese people eat.

If this store only sells American things, Chinese people might not like it.

For example, Americans like to eat very large pieces of meat.

But Chinese people like to eat different things.

So, this store started to change.

It started selling things Chinese people like.

This is a very smart way of doing things.

For example, when the Spring Festival is approaching.

The Spring Festival is China's biggest festival.

Everyone goes home to be with their mom and dad.

Everyone wants to eat delicious food.

Everyone wants to give gifts to friends.

This store prepared many Spring Festival gifts.

It sells some traditional Chinese food.

It sells some things that are good for health.

For instance, a very famous medicine that is good for the body.

There are also some good-looking things to put in the home.

Americans might not understand these things.

But Chinese people like them very much.

When everyone sees these things, they will want to buy them.

Everyone feels this store understands China very well.

So, everyone is willing to go there to buy things.

This is the first right thing it did.

The second right thing is about the size of the products.

We know that America is very big.

American houses are very big.

American home refrigerators are also very big.

Also, in American families, there may be many people.

So, when they buy things, they buy a lot at once.

The meat they buy is as big as one kilogram a piece.

However, China is different.

In big cities in China, houses might not be that big.

There isn't much space to put things.

And Chinese families are relatively small.

Just dad, mom, and the child.

Some families have only two or three people.

If buying a huge piece of meat, it can't be finished in one go.

Where to put it?

This is a big problem.

If the items are too big, people won't buy them.

This store saw this problem.

So, they made the meat smaller.

Before, it was one kilogram.

Now it is only 450 grams, or 800 grams.

This way, one piece of meat can be finished in one dinner.

This is very convenient.

People don't have to worry about the meat going bad.

People also don't have to worry about having no place to put it.

Because of this change, more people went to buy meat.

This is thinking for the customers.

The store does whatever the customers need.

The third thing is about where the stores are opened.

Before, this store was only in big cities.

Such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

These cities have many people and a lot of money.

But now, there are already many stores in big cities.

The competition is very fierce.

So, this store started going to other cities.

It went to some smaller cities.

Although they are small cities, people's lives there are also very good.

People also have money.

People also want to buy good things.

For example, in some cities in Jiangsu Province.

People there are very happy.

Because they don't have to go to big cities to buy good things.

So, in the newly opened stores, there are a lot of people.

Everyone is queuing up to buy things.

This shows that there are also many people in small cities who want to buy things.

This store's choice was correct.

Let's look at other stores.

There is a store called Costco, which is also American.

It also has stores in China.

But its stores are relatively few.

It opens stores very slowly.

It needs to buy land and build buildings.

This takes a lot of time and also a lot of money.

So it doesn't open as fast as Sam's.

There are also other foreign stores that have already left because business was bad.

So, the Sam's store is very special.

Although it is foreign, it is very much like a Chinese store.

It knows what Chinese people want to eat.

It knows how Chinese people live their lives.

It knows how Chinese people celebrate holidays.

It also knows what Chinese families are like.

This is the reason for its success.

Of course, it also has some problems.

Because the stores opened too fast, sometimes there are problems.

For example, sometimes the food is not very clean.

Or the quality of the things is not the best.

This is the thing everyone worries about the most.

Food safety is the most important.

If the food is not good, people will get sick.

People will get angry.

So, the boss of this store said they will pay attention.

They will spend more money to check these things.

They need to guarantee the things are good.

Only if the things are good will everyone keep going.

If the things are not good, no matter how cheap, it is useless.

Now, there are also many Chinese stores.

China's own stores are also doing very well.

So, foreign stores need to work hard.

If they don't work hard or change, they cannot stay.

What we just talked about is actually news about "Sam's Club".

This is a very famous American supermarket.

It is doing very well in China, this is called "localization".

Localization means that when coming to a new place, one must learn the culture of that place.

And sell things that the people of that place like.

Although many foreign supermarkets have closed, Sam's stayed because it made these changes.

It made big things small to adapt to Chinese families.

It sells Chinese New Year gifts to adapt to Chinese festivals.

This is why it can make a lot of money in China.

Listen again

Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

词汇
xīnxiānfresh; novel; new

Used here to describe a feeling of novelty or something being new and interesting.

cōngmingsmart; clever

Describes a person or an action that shows intelligence.

yuànyìto be willing; to wish

A verb indicating readiness or consent to do something.

fāngbiànconvenient

Describes something that saves time or effort.

dānxīnto worry; anxious

Verb or adjective describing concern about something.

gānjìngclean

Adjective describing hygiene or lack of dirt.

jiérìfestival; holiday

Refers to special days of celebration like Spring Festival.

lǐwùgift; present

Something given to someone as a present.

qíngkuàngsituation; circumstances

Refers to the state of affairs or conditions.

chuántǒngtradition; traditional

Refers to customs passed down through generations.

jìngzhēngcompetition; to compete

Refers to the rivalry between businesses.

zhìliàngquality

Refers to the standard of something as measured against other things.

bǎozhèngto guarantee; to ensure

To promise that something will happen or be true.

běntǔhuàlocalization

A business term meaning adapting a product to a specific local culture or market.

shìyìngto adapt; to fit

To change in order to suit different conditions.

* beyond level超纲词

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

语法
虽然……但是……

Although... but... (Conjunction pair used to express contrast).

虽然是小城市,但是那里的人生活也很好。

它虽然是外国的,但是它很像中国的商店。

虽然很多外国超市关门了,但是山姆因为做了这些改变,所以它留下了。

A + 和 + B + 不一样

A is different from B (Used to compare two things).

在美国,人们的生活和中国不一样。

美国人吃的东西,和中国人吃的东西不一样。

如果……

If... (Used to introduce a conditional clause).

如果这个商店只卖美国的东西,中国人可能不喜欢。

如果买一块很大的肉,一次吃不完。

如果东西太大,大家就不买了。

因为……所以……

Because... therefore... (Used to express cause and effect).

因为它们的东西,中国人不一定喜欢。

因为他们不用去大城市,也能买到好的东西。所以,新开的商店里,人非常多。

Verb + 完

Result complement indicating completion (to finish doing something).

如果买一块很大的肉,一次吃不完。

这样,一块肉,一顿晚饭就可以吃完。

Proper Nouns

专有名词
中国ZhōngguóChina美国MěiguóUSA / America山姆ShānmǔSam's (referring to Sam's Club)春节ChūnjiéSpring Festival / Chinese New Year北京BěijīngBeijing上海ShànghǎiShanghai深圳ShēnzhènShenzhen江苏省Jiāngsū ShěngJiangsu ProvinceCostcoCostcoCostco山姆会员店Shānmǔ Huìyuán DiànSam's Club (Membership Store)

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