This Guard's Reaction SHOCKED Me in China - Xiangyang - Travel Vlog

Today we're in our last day in Xiangyang City 襄阳 in Hubei - which has historically been one of China's walled fortress cities on the Han River.
Today we finally try Xiangyang's most famous Chinese food - Xiangyang Beef Noodles/襄阳牛肉面. We also meet a security guard who seemed grumpy at first, but then totally surprised me. All that plus a friendly chef with some cold beer, and a walk along the city walls.
As always it was a good chance to speak Chinese to some locals.
2023 China Travel Vlog
#xiangyang #chinese #china

[@charleneji6759]

The security guard is a cool guy. His English is quite good.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Yeah it totally took me by surprise! And exactly right - a really nice guy

[@joysun2015]

If that security guard is not one of the highlights of your 2023 tour, I don't know what is! Can't say his English is great, but he earns my respect for proactively starting a conversation in English. And it seems to me he could have led a more decent life but somehow end up being a security guard... I have a funny feeling that he has stories that would make a great novel.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Yeah man when I asked him about the tower in Chinese, he seemed a bit dismissive. Then boom - he just started speaking English and was super helpful. I'm sure he was more interesting than the tower behind him!

[@magnaviator]

His English is really amazingly good for having never lived outside of china. Conversational is crazy hard unless you're in the society.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

100% mate - his English is WAY better than my Chinese when I first arrived in China (and I had done part of my degree in Chinese)

[@zworm2]

Security guard, what a great character to meet and by chance! Hope he had a nice lunch! How did he learn such good english.....Secret agent 99? Anyone notice your T Shirt?

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Yeah man what was up with that aye? Really random. I'd compare it to finding a random security guard in NZ who just happens to speak conversational French - it just doesn't really happen aye!

[@maneil9297]

Security guard's English is not bad.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

I've genuinely met English teachers whose spoken English wasn't as good. So yeah for some security guard in a relatively small city to speak like that, I was pretty amazed

[@maneil9297]

@@TwoCentsOnTour We need to know that it is okay to speak inperfectly, which is why majority of us NOT able to speak in English.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

@@maneil9297 I had the same mental barrier to overcome when speaking Chinese man - at first I was almost embarrassed to open my mouth

[@maneil9297]

@@TwoCentsOnTour You spoke well now

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

@@maneil9297 Getting better aye, used to be terrible!

[@GBNE-kh1fs]

Your conversations with the local folk are brilliant. It gives a real flavour of the place.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Yeah I've been lucky to meet some really interesting folks on my trips aye

[@kalideres9680]

Hi tut, Your spoken Mandarin is very well !

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Thank you! 😃

[@UanTao]

It’s good to see new generation Kiwi being so open and international. When I went to a boarding school in Christchurch nearly 30 years ago, Kiwi kids were quite narrow-minded. Not racist per se but just thought everything not Kiwi is weird. I only thrived because I picked up rugby and so basically was accepted as one of the boys. Anyways, cheers from Thailand! Do come visit!!❤

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Cheers man yeah never been to Thailand! One of these days. It's an interesting one with NZ - but it's not the first time I've heard someone say that about Christchurch. Where I'm from in Auckland is certainly not perfect, but is maybe a touch more multicultural - so a bit less of what you described. Glad to know rugby helped, lol

[@simongregory3114]

I'm from Christchurch... I would have thought 30 years ago things would have been a bit more relaxed, than when I went to high school which was closer to 50 years ago. NZ was pretty isolated culturally then. But you went to a boarding school? That implies one of the old traditional private schools like Christ's College or St. Andrews College. Is that right? Definitely an 'old money' conservative background at those places. At least it wasn't racist I guess!

[@UanTao]

@@simongregory3114 St. Andrew’s it was - very strong Scottish tradition there. Boys from big farms and stations from all over the South Island for sure as well as sons of former students. Yes, I could imagine 50 years ago Christchurch would have been an even more closed society. It was a really unique experience I must say. And no, I didn’t feel it was racism, just the boys being not so acquainted to other cultures. I suppose these days the internet and KZbin have brought people closer the world over. I was there when there were Marshall, Mehrtens, Bunce, and Lomu at the back, and Fitzy and Zinzan up front. Still a loyal All Blacks and Crusaders supporter to this day I must admit 😊

[@yneverland]

Like the way you travel

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Thanks for taking the time to say so ;)

[@kalideres9680]

你们新西兰那位女总理也很有脑子！不顺从漂亮国的话 ， 有主见。

[@fromthemarkrugby]

The noodle chef was great. Where are you from, New Zealand? That's great but I've got the next bowl in my hand so that's enough patter for you.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Yeah no time for chit chat 😅

[@KirstyLionheart]

Yess I've been looking forward to more vlogs!

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

A lot more to come! Just need to edit them 😅

[@KirstyLionheart]

@@TwoCentsOnTour Can't wait!

[@Flipnosis]

your mandarin is really impressive. I've just got to Taiwan and its really hard to learn, but im getting there

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Keep at it man, when I first arrived in China I could barely say anything

[@stevenliew2507]

The beef noodle looks great. I am sure it tasted equally good 😅😅👍👍

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Yeah it was pretty bloody good ;)

[@richardchen6449]

I know people would be impressed by a security guard in a relatively small city in China who is capable of holding conversations in English, but the hard, cold fact is that China still has a huge gap between the rich and the poor. Even in Beijing, the median monthly wage is approximately 6900 yuan (955 USD/1586 NZD), which is the highest in mainland China. In most cities, it's less than 4000 yuan. So, you can imagine how life would be for most ordinary people in China. I mean, most stuff in China is cheap. For example, 2 yuan for a bottle of water, 10-15 yuan for a bowl of noodles or fried rice, which is still affordable if you are making an average salary. But housing prices are crazy in China. For example, in Beijing, it's 60K+ for a square meter on average. And when you compare that to the median wage in Beijing, then you know most people cannot afford to buy properties in China, even if you are making money in Beijing or Shanghai and buying properties in a second-tier city in China unless you are in the top 10%. Growing up in China in my apartment complex, there was an old guy who owned a bicycle parking place inside the complex (Not many people had cars back then in China), and at the entrance, there was a chalkboard hanging there. He would write poetry about how he should have been more successful and how he had talents, and it was something wrong with the society and the government and stuff like that. By his poetry, I could tell he did have talents, but no one cared because most people in China are going to be poor, and the people know it. The few who were capable escaped, and the ones faking being okay are still faking it.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Yeah man the difference is really massive. In NZ there's still a gap between rich and poor, but I feel like it's not anywhere near as vast. I only talked to the security guard for a short time, but like your old neigbour I feel like he's probably got more talent than he's able to display in his current role. I assume he retained his English from his school days - perhaps he works on it in his free time. Either way it's pretty crazy because I can barely remember 10 words from the French I studied in high school

[@user-cq8it3dq2i]

Did Tony give you that T-Shirt 🤣

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Haha it does seem more his style eh? 🤣 I actually had it in storage at my in-laws, been there since before I was married 😅

[@damnischannel]

Another great video. I always look forward to your vlogs. I wish I could speak Cantonese half as good as you speak Mandarin 😁

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Cantonese seems tougher! I've never been to any of the Cantonese speaking areas either - I'll have to add it to my list 😅

[@fleshen]

I'm not sure but that might be the first time I have see your whole body in one shot! And what a nice guy that guard was!

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Lol yeah maybe that's a first - got arms, legs & everything!

[@lachysims6327]

the rebels cap and "I left my pants at your mum's house" T-Shirt is a great combo ahahaha

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Lol I never thought about that! Sadly I lost that cap later on in the year when it blew off my head! (back in NZ by that point)

[@charlottescott7150]

Did Tony buy the T shirt for you? ​@@TwoCentsOnTour

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

@@charlottescott7150 haha no, but admittedly it's one I bought before I got married. It'd been in storage at my in-laws place for many years 😅

[@XIXCentury]

Great vids buddy

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Appreciate it mate!

[@user-cq8it3dq2i]

Talking to security guard for 10mins, once you asked him about his English, he wanted to leave 🤣 spy?

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Lol maybe just hungry 😅 but yeah he dodged that one!

[@Kyuestma]

❤❤❤❤

[@yummemys4608]

Bloody hell, guards English is super❤

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

100% I dunno how he did it!

[@DW-op7ly]

Interesting observation on the smokes and alcohol... Never thought about that from that perspective

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Yeah honestly to buy drinks where I am in NZ is more of a mission - only a few places are licensed - none within a short walk, they may ask for ID (less likely at I'm older now but in my 30s I was still getting asked), they close by 7-9pm etc. In China it's just go downstairs and buy whatever....

[@patanouketgersiflet9486]

Thanks again for a nice vlog. Seeing you cross that bridge at the very end is just a testament to just how huge and wide rivers can be, it must take a while to cross a bridge such as that one.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Yeah 100% - honestly the first time I saw the Yangtze, I was 21 years old and had to ask someone "what's that?" - because I'd never seen anything like it

[@amandagrant4331]

@@TwoCentsOnTour The river in this video is not the Yangtze River, but the Han River (a tributary of the Yangtze River). Wuhan, where your wife's home is located, is the intersection of the Yangtze River and the Han River.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

@@amandagrant4331 yep I that's right mate. I saw the Yangtze though when I was 21 in Wuhan and was totally blown away

[@PapuaKini]

Nice t-shirt.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Haha yeah cheers man

[@BrettStealth]

interesting comment about smokes & booze being available at most convenience stores compared with NZ. I've heard several friends complain some about overly controlled life in NZ by the state. The 1 that cracked me up the most was a friend waiting in line to pay being told by an official to please hold the trolley with both hands. 😀

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Man I never heard of that trolley one 😂 But yeah in NZ before buying any alcohol I'm thinking: -where is the nearest liquor store? -will they be open at this time of day/night? -have I got my ID on me in case they ask? (admittedly since turning 40 I haven't been asked, but at 38 or 39 I definitely still got asked - because the shops fear getting fined if they don't ask) In China that process was just: -go downstairs to the nearest shop and buy whatever

[@A-world-of-My-Own]

Mahjong being played, Is very loud and noisy, and if your bed room is in the vicinity of going on, You will know about it. Hence the rather sleepy intro from our reporter on the scene. Ask me how I know!

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Haha yeah man, I should have just asked them to teach me how to play and joined in! (although I'm sure I'd have lost lots of money, lol)

[@mingchenlo]

Very funny

[@kakashihatake8413]

What the hack!!! What are you doing there? In Xiangyang?😂

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Xiangyang was great! Had a look around for a couple of days 😊

[@trignals]

8th! After thinking about it too long my guess is 8th is about as high as people on the ground can spot an unprotected balcony. Ever think about printing that photo and posting it to that gaurd's museum with a link for the video? You might end up one day growing the Chinese audience for rugby :P

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Yeah might be right on the balcony thing - bugger climbing that high! Should have asked our mate if he was into any sports aye ;)

[@binhe6500]

Interesting episode 😀

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Honestly finding a security guard who spoke English - in Xiangyang city - was not something I expected!

[@peterwilliams7335]

What do you do in China? I would like to wandering around in China as you are doing…China is looking so much more interesting than the U.S.? And cost of living must be so much lower that the U.S. too.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

I used to work in China back in the 2000s-mid 2010s, this time I was just back travelling while my wife visited her folks

[@peterwilliams7335]

@@TwoCentsOnTour that's nice.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

@@peterwilliams7335 yeah it was. Cost of living is pretty decent as you said too

[@xinfuxia3809]

That’s a lot of beef for $2.30 !

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Yeah very generous with the serving!

[@yvindmoen8258]

"Nothing to drink" then you lost me. You need water or something with spicy noodles. Was about to find another video, but then you gave a honest review of the meal and not over praised it. It didnt look to good anyway also. Made me continue. Thumbs up.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

I had a coffee with me from memory 😅 And yeah I don't think I'm high energy enough to be a food reviewer - cheers!

[@suisui2945]

中文说得不错。不知道认不认识字

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

简单点的我认识啊 😅

[@user-cy6km8nj4z]

这个保安英文这么好? 很少见啊

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

是啊！我真的觉得很厉害

[@peterwilliams7335]

Are you Chinese and Caucasian mix?

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Just Caucasian aye, although I studied a bit of Chinese here in NZ

[@creekyknee]

That security guard is giving me a headache. Its so sad to see so much concrete, tarmac and manufactured high-rise buildings. The natural world is non-existent, its horrible. I so hope that Europe never becomes like that, It might do if we continue to grow our population in an un-controlled manner. Or allow un-fettered inward immigration. Thankfully, I will be long gone before Europe is confronted with these kind of problems. Maybe some people like this kind of landscape but for me its horrible. That beef noodle breakfast looked amazing. Good on you Mark for making the effort to speak the local language, it sure does make a difference in your encounters. For me, the only country that I dislike more than China from what I've seen would be Saudi Arabia where I spent a hellish two months in my 20s. Even in very poor countries like Romania and Bulgaria you have the natural beauty of nature which you can enjoy. China looks like an Orwellian nightmare.

[@peterelliott2914]

I guess you only see what you look for... It looked quite green to me btw.

[@tuyu635]

i just checked forest coverage rate ranking of the world and I think you are just very stupid.

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

I thought he was great! The odds of finding a guy, especially a security guard who has never been abroad - capable of having a conversation in English in "small" city China - was real needle in a haystack stuff!

[@deathisaprimitiveconcept]

Funnily enough, having been to both China and the former Yugoslavia, one thing that struck me about China was how much it reminded me of Eastern Europe: a bit rough around the edges, big focus on food and family, and outside of the big cities a massive amount of green countryside with villages dotted throughout.

[@X-H-Wu]

This vlogger is filming in a city, so you are seeing so much concrete, tarmac and manufactured high-rise buildings. You have no idea how big is China and believe this is China and natural world is non-existent. Chinese describe this as "a frog at the bottom of the well". The frog looks up and see the sky and say the sky is just that big.

[@marcodelguerra]

I loved the T Shirt!!!!kkkkk ...LONG LIVE CHINA...What a nice security guy or should I say Chinese HUMAN BEING!!! No wder it is the 21th century WOLD POWER! Yours is THE BEST channel about China!

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Funnily enough I bought that one BEFORE I was married 😅.... but then kept it in storage at my in-laws place for a few years

[@marcodelguerra]

@@TwoCentsOnTour YOU RULE MAN!kkk

[@weizhang2834]

Different mindset, usually Chinese consider themselves have money: own at least an apartment , at least 100 thousand dollars savings (some even think it’s not enough) . And I met a lot of westerners just bring 5000 dollars to travel to another country. Those security guards got free meals and get free insurance and many other benefits from the employers

[@TwoCentsOnTour]

Yeah I think - maybe - he was saying he doesn't have money to travel and see the world? But yeah judging by his age I would be surprised if he doesn't own an apartment and have savings. I saw a report last year which said 40% of people in NZ have less than NZ$5000 in the bank - in China there's no way people would save that little - no matter they are rich or poor

[@user-ic3qk5qx2d]

看成观音山