Chinanews, Chengdu, August 1st, title: Chengdu "local foreigner" Philip: dialect is the "key" to understand a city

  Author Yue Yitong

  "Chengdu is laid back, Chengdu is spicy, and Chengdu is friendly. When playing in Chengdu, Chengdu is four words:'Ba Shi De Ban'!" The live broadcast ended with a rap song in Sichuan dialect "Chengdu Leisure", blonde Poland "90 Later," the guy Philip said with a fluent Sichuan dialect, "coming to Sichuan without speaking Sichuan dialect is like eating hot pot and only eating mandarin duck pot, the taste is just the same."

Philip in the live broadcast. Photo by Lu Yang

  In 2012, Philip, who was still a sophomore in Poland, began to learn Chinese. The original intention was to enhance his employment competitiveness after graduation. "With the continuous strengthening of international cooperation between Poland and China, Chinese-speaking talents have more and better job opportunities." Philip said that he did not expect to have a "long-lasting love" for China during the learning process. "At that time, I made up my mind to have China come to see it."

  At the end of 2014, Philip, who had just graduated from university, couldn't wait to embark on a trip to China. According to the information found on the Internet, he chose Chengdu, which has a profound historical and cultural heritage and a comfortable life. "The original plan was to stay for only half a year. I didn't expect this to be a city where you can't walk away." This 28-year-old Philip laughed and showed two tiger teeth. "After living for more than 5 years, I still love Chengdu. profound'."

  Philip said frankly that although he has witnessed the rapid development of Chengdu in recent years, he loves the "city life" of Chengdu more than the skyscrapers rising from the ground and the soaring economic industry. After accidentally encountering Sichuanese rap in 2016, he decided to start learning this dialect. "Behind the dialect is the historical deposit of a city and its own heritage and connotation. Only through the dialect as the'key' can we understand the truest appearance of the city."

  So far, Philip has taken more than 100 Sichuanese lessons. When communicating with people in Chengdu, he frequently popped up dialect words such as "extremely annoyed", "Bashidban", and "Zhanglongmenzhen", which often made the other party feel that he was not a foreigner. At this time, Philip responded with a smile, "Because I am a'local foreigner' in Chengdu."

Philip is live streaming. Photo by Lu Yang

  In Philip's view, after learning Sichuanese, he became more integrated into the lives of Chengdu people. Whether it is the bargaining in the vegetable market or the call of the owner of the "fly restaurant", the city behind the Sichuan dialect makes this Polish guy feel real and natural. "This is the most down-to-earth Chengdu and the soul of Chengdu."

  Philip is not only a "licensed" street artist in Chengdu, but also a "net celebrity" with more than 4 million fans. During street roadshows and live broadcasts, Philip prefers to use Sichuan dialect to communicate with the audience. Most of his more than 10 songs are in Sichuan dialect. "Hello everyone, I am Chengdu Philip." is his favorite self-introduction.

Philip is practicing the newly learned Chinese song. Photo by Lu Yang

  Today, Philip also promotes Chengdu as his responsibility. Occasionally going to other cities in China, he not only loves to communicate with people in Sichuan dialect, but also often promotes Chengdu's scenic spots and food. "Chengdu is my second hometown. Although it looks like I am a foreigner, I am a Chengdu native in my heart."

  On weekdays, Philip would also recommend Chengdu to his relatives and friends in Poland, and invite them to come to Chengdu to experience the charm of the city in person. "Watching giant pandas, eating hot pot, visiting Wuhou Temple...it's almost'Ba Shi De Ban'." After finishing the live broadcast equipment skillfully, Philip was ready to go out to eat a portion of "Bobo Chicken" covered with red oil. "Chengdu, it's really comfortable, I hope more foreigners come here to have a look." (End)