Today we want to take you guys for walk into
the green-covered Cotswolds
To explore the typical British countryside
Through this journey
we want to find the answer to a question
That is
are British villages really what we see on the internet?
Before I came to the UK I'd actually heard
that Britain had an extremely beautiful area
but I didn't expect that Scott's home is right next to it
Today Scott and his brother Rob
want to take me to see
what this beautiful place is really like
And our
little fellow
The four of us together
She's wriggling so much
Oh Toffee! You'll be fine
Toffee's ready
On the road!
I'm so excited today
Two handsome boys want to take me to look at the landscape
We're the lucky girls, aren't we?
Castle?
That's a church
Yellow Cotswold stone, classic
Toffee helped a lot
She's pulling you!
Mhmm!
First impressions of the Cotswolds?
Pretty
Cause the Cotswolds is like
in China, you see it all over Chinese social media
as like this beautiful place with the
Like you were saying before - the Cotswold stone and stuff
Mhm-hm
Do you think it's--
In you mind is it like this super picturesque area?
I mean, it kind of is
because I know it's very well protected
but it is, in my eyes, like old fashioned UK
Mhmm
Cause so much of England's history is the Cotswolds
The buildings, the stone, the town layouts, the size of it
That I don't know, it sort of feels like
it is the UK, but it's also not like how I imagine the UK represented
cause it's not what I interact with on a daily
Yeah
For me, when I think of what represents the UK
I think of like towns and stuff that are kind of built up
and like lots of roads and that kind of thing
but yeah it's interesting that from the outside of the UK
this is what people think of as the UK
Toffee!
I mean if anyone had the image of Swindon in their head when they thought of the UK
I think the UK tourism industry would be doomed
but um...
I mean, we do have one or two regal elements
I mean we've got all the manor houses and stuff
A lot of those are in the Cotswolds
Think of all the period dramas like Downtown Abbey and everything which
I've heard are quite popular in places like America
Yeah, I mean
I guess that is our history isn't it really?
All the old fashioned maids and everything, butlers
Yeah, that's true
It's just not too, I guess, relevant in today's society
And yeah, everyday life
Yeah. Yeah I guess maybe it used to be much more representative of the UK
Yeah, so here I feel--
Oh my god!
Unlucky
That is the true British countryside
I just suddenly felt the road wasn't very stable anymore
There are more! See
Yeah, maybe it's too dangerous to film up ahead
Yeah, like the-- like westerners before they went to China
They might thought China, yeah--
I mean, something is not really true
Until you go
Until you go there (and) you find out
I've gotta say Yangshuo isn't what I expected from a Chinese countryside town
It's a lot bigger than I thought
Lot more sprawling
This is how ignorant I am
I think Chinese countryside, I think like a temple on top of a hill
and like very remote cities
Exactly
that have like, you know, your basic forms of electricity
but aren't too worried about it
and that's sort of like my western-built image of it
and now that I've been to Yangshuo and all that obviously I know that it's different
But it's weird to think that China's got the same image with English people
living in manor houses and all that when er...
Yeah I think if you've never been there you'll never know what it really is
You can only imagine or look at other people's
Like the photos in the social media, the videos
which are all edited right?
Not-- It doesn't represent the real place
And taking the bits that they think look picturesque or
reinforce those images that they got so like
if you went to England as a tourist you'll probably go to those manor houses
and you'll get the photos there, you won't get the photos of all the countryside
Cause that's not what you went to see
even though it is all around, do you know what I mean?
And it's like self-replicating right?
Because one person takes a photo of a place
and then everyone wants to go there
and then people assume that's what that place is
so when they go to that place they only have a limited amount of time
and they go to that thing and take a picture of that thing
And it goes again
You may be the first human that's used the stile this way
So before I came here
I expected to see the, you know, the picturesque villages
Like what I saw in XiaoHongShu or social media
Pretty photos
But...
now I'm feeling
I really...
I mean--
Now you're in the UK and you look where we actually are
it's like "Oh yeah, no, it's pretty down to earth really"
Yeah so
It's not just the picturesque villages, right?
It has the nature
Has the pathways full of cows poop and...
This is horse poop actually, you have to learn your UK poop
True, that's a skill in the UK
differentiating all the poops and pats
But it doesn't matter, we still like the place right?
We like everything, not just the picturesque villages
Yeah, that's right
And the hills
The grass, the cows
Yeah of course the UK has more to it than just one photo
or a few photos
That's half the reason I like going abroad
because I don't know anything about the place really
And like, yeah you'll tick off the landmark or two
that you had planned
but then you'll go to all the bits and between and be like "Oh!"
I didn't know there was a massive city next to the great pyramids of Giza
You know?
I didn't know there was a massive...
I dunno, whatever there is over there
I haven't been there yet
Yeah I think that's part of the fun of traveling
and that's why I'm keen to get out of here, you know?
Been in the same place, I know what's in between already
Right
Ella's homemade banana cake!
That has nuts in
That has nuts in so Rob can't eat it!
It does look good though
You can smell
Isn't that worse?
I think it's helpful
At least you can smell it
Challenge the allergy!
What are you doing?
A tip, when picking blackberries
Don't pick the blackberries at dog piss level
Are you sure your belly will be okay?
Yeah
Yeah I realised these things are everywhere in the UK countryside
which is really nice
Next clip, give me a Chinese word to say
and let me butcher it
I'm very handsome
(repeating) I'm very handsome
Pretty good actually
Yeah? I'm very handsome!
Just now, Rob wanted to learn how to say fantastic
I tricked him into saying I'm very handsome
Now Scott's going to teach him how to say fantastic
Actually we don't know the super accurate translation of fantastic
but we figure it's "feichang hao"
Fei
I'm trying to get my cheeks like round
Fei - fei
Chang - chang
Hao - hao
Not bad, "Feichang hao"
Fantastic
Can you say it to camera, Rob?
Fantastic!
Fantastic
Very good!
Fantastic
Fantastic!
Look! A westerner teaching another westerner Chinese
Oh, I've got one
I got one
Rob, I teach you - you say
You say, "Niubi"
Oh niubi
Is it with a "v" or?
"b"
Niubi
Yeah, I'm very awesome
I'm very awesome
Yeah
I feel like I'm speaking African
If you can blow off all the dandelion seeds in one go
you can have a wish and they might grant it
It's meant to be taken away by the fairies
Toffee don't! No!
I like how you got serious
Cause you took your glasses off
I mean typically you pick it up and do it
so it doesn't blow all over the place
Oh yeah
and then it's a lot easier
Oh yeah
What will you wish for?
I wish for Ella to be able to blow her next one in one go
Yeah, I do have some questions I want to ask you
Oh yeah? Go on then
I told Scott before I came to the UK
I heard about this place is very beautiful
Beautiful countryside view
It turned out you guys are so close
it's even in the area of Cotswolds
Yeah, so I wonder how do you feel, you are living in such a beautiful place?
I mean for us
No, it is really nice, I mean like you say
you step outside our door, we're in the woods and the forests
It's pretty frickin' nice
That's why I don't want to move to the city really
Oh really? So you think
You think it's, you like here more?
Yeah, oh yeah yeah
Like there's a lot of work in London and the big cities
but compared to the lifestyle and the freedom out here
It's just nice
Like it's not as social but it is nice
What about the job opportunities in Cotswolds?
Not the cities
Nah there's not to many really
There's a bit of mining work
A couple of bits of history and tourism and whatnot
I mean that's what I'm in at the moment
But um, yeah there's not a whole lot of
sort of young work, to put it politely
Do you think it's a place which is suitable for young people?
I'd actually say no
Just because there's just not enough work really
and it's expensive out here so
young people can't really buy housing
It's hard to be social when everyone is so split apart
and like in the little towns and such, you know
You go to a pub and get rowdy, everyone's gonna know
Yeah
Today we've taken two videographers to come and fly drones
What if I put it in sport mode, can you track me?
Oh my god, that's dangerous
Let's do it
I love this
The grass with cows
With dogs
With people
So peaceful
So now you've seen the
real Cotswolds
How do you think it compares to the pictures you saw on XiaoHongShu and stuff?
I think seeing the Cotswolds today was more comprehensive
and not just a one-sided view
that is only those very beautiful villages
Of course there's also very beautiful villages
and these kinds of beautiful houses
but there are also very ordinary scenes
Forests, grass
But it's very tranquil I think
the deepest impression is that
the landscape is very tranquil
Very clean
It has the power to make me calm
I really wish that I could stay here for longer
Find a patch of grass to lay down on
Watch cows and sheep eating grass
It's a very beautiful place
It's a place I really like
And Rob thank you so much
No worries
For joining us on our adventure today
That's fine, yeah
Ella had one last bit of Chinese she wanted to teach you
Oh yeah?
Hello everyone one
Wo shi Rob
I am Rob
I'm very pleased
here
with you
to meet
Very good!
Was that close?
Not bad
Let's boogie!
Oh Ella, do you want to try something?
Try...
It's a very British thing
As a British child, we did this a lot
What, rolling down hills?
Mhmm-hm
What?
Here, I'll take the dog
Like this
Yep
Roooll!
Oh my god that's...
No!
That's a British thing?
Yep
Go go go go go!
You did great
Now you've experienced the true British culture
Yeah it's dizzy
Next week we'll take you guys to
explore another side of the Cotswolds
See you next week!