Beijing KTV: 5 Steps to Cross-cultural bonding at Cashbox Partyworld

Note:  Proceed at your own risk.  This post contains an easy five step process, with lyrics included, for a non-fluent Mandarin speaker to belt out a song with local friends at a KTV lounge.  CN Reviews disclaims all responsibility for your potential loss of hearing, pride, face, or business relationships.

When I visited Beijing in January, the manager of the Beijing team scheduled a team-building event at Cashbox Partyworld. My problem was threefold: My Chinese wasn’t good enough to follow the lyrics, my singing wasn’t good enough to follow the tune, and I didn’t know any Chinese songs. When I shared these impediments with the Beijing manager, she suggested that I sing Liang Zhi Lao Hu (两只老虎） which seems like at best would have been embarrassing and at worse some kind of devastating loss of face. In the interest of global employee retention, I was determined to make a good showing on behalf of our US team!

Chinese people may not realize that most Americans have absolutely no idea what a KTV experience might look like. I’ve posted photos of Cashbox Partyworld at the end of this post because frankly I found it mindblowingly different than what I expected.

Step 1: Pick a Song

I asked my fellow CN Reviews blogger Min Guo to bail me out. She selected Wàng Qíng Shuǐ (忘 情 水) aka “Water of Forgetfulness.” Her rationale was that Andy Lau’s singing was not that great, hence great for someone of limited vocal range, and that his Mandarin was also not that great, hence perfect for me!

Step 2: Find the MP3 and the lyrics online

Min helped me find the MP3 and the lyrics online, and I dutifully uploaded the song to my iTunes and listened to the delightful strains of Wang Qing Shui.

Step 3: Convert the Hanzi into Pinyin

With only 3 days to go before the big event, I chose not to use the Chinese lyrics as a Chinese character learning opportunity. So I downloaded the trial version of NJStar which I had used before in the past, and slammed all the Hanzi into Pinyin. I have attached the Pinyin translation below to save you this step.

Step 4: Practice!

In the privacy of my Beijing hotel room, I listened to the song on iTunes and sang along using the Pinyin.

Step 5: Get ready to sing, and volunteer early so someone else doesn’t “steal” your song by singing it before you do.

When I discovered that Wang Qing Shui was already on the playlist, I felt a creeping sense of panic. I decided to soldier on and sing the song!

Photos of KTV in Beijing at Cashbox Partyworld, 2008

OK, so what in the world is KTV anyway? Here’s my journey into KTV Wonderland…

Buffet Spread at Cashbox Partyworld

Hallway to our private KTV room

Door to our private room

Happy singers inside

Our Party in Progress

My Beijing debut. I will never forget my first taste of the Clear Water of Forgetfulness.

Appendix: Wang Qing Shui (忘 情 水) in Pinyin by Andy Lau

The song follows an A-A-B-Chorus-Chorus format and repeats twice in its entirety. Then it ends with a repeated Chorus. Quite a simple song form actually. With this appendix, you should be able to follow the song with complete accuracy.

A 1
céng jīng nián shǎo ài zhuī mèng yī xīn zhī xiǎng
曾 经 年 少 爱 追 梦 一 心 只 想

wǎng qián fēi
往 前 飞

xíng biàn qiān shān hé wàn shuǐ yī lù zǒu lái bù
行 遍 千 山 和 万 水 一 路 走 来 不

néng huí
能 回
A 2
mò rán huí shǒu qíng yǐ yuǎn shēn bù yóu yǐ zài
蓦 然 回 首 情 已 远 身 不 由 已 在

tiān biān
天 边

cái míng bái ài hèn qíng chóu zuì shāng zuì tòng
才 明 白 爱 恨 情 仇 最 伤 最 痛

shì hòu huǐ
是 后 悔
B
rú guǒ nǐ bù céng xīn suì nǐ bù huì dǒng de
如 果 你 不 曾 心 碎 你 不 会 懂 得

wǒ shāng bēi
我 伤 悲

dāng wǒ yǎn zhōng yǒu lèi bié wèn wǒ shì wéi shéi
当 我 眼 中 有 泪 别 问 我 是 为 谁

jiù ràng wǒ wàng le zhè yī qiē
就 让 我 忘 了 这 一 切
CHORUS 1
a gěi wǒ yī bēi wàng qíng shuǐ huàn wǒ yī yè
啊 给 我 一 杯 忘 情 水 换 我 一 夜

bù liú lèi
不 流 泪

suǒ yǒu zhēn xīn zhēn yì rèn tā yǔ dǎ fēng chuī
所 有 真 心 真 意 任 它 雨 打 风 吹

fù chū de ài shōu bù huí
付 出 的 爱 收 不 回
CHORUS 2
gěi wǒ yī bēi wàng qíng shuǐ huàn wǒ yī shēng bù
给 我 一 杯 忘 情 水 换 我 一 生 不

shāng bēi
伤 悲

jiù suàn wǒ huì hē zuì jiù suàn wǒ huì xīn suì
就 算 我 会 喝 醉 就 算 我 会 心 碎

bù huì kàn jiàn wǒ liú lèi
不 会 看 见 我 流 泪

INSTRUMENTAL INTERLUDE

REPEAT ENTIRE SONG

REPEAT CHORUS 1,2

REPEAT 2ND PART OF CHORUS 2