Chinese study group in Beijing

[storyline]

For those of you living in Beijing, you may find this interesting:

With all that Beijing has to offer - classes, tutoring, language exchange, and social interactions, it seems that we can add yet one more resource to the mix: a Meetup-like, informal yet focussed, and well-informed group. Our Mandarin learning experience can be shared. And we can all learn from each other.

This is an extension of the Chinese Workshop NYC Meetup (for those of you with a proxy site, check out: chinese.meetup.com/308, especially the "past Meetups" to get an idea of what we did). The few differences are that this Beijing one is usually with a dinner, and led by more of an organizer as opposed to an instructor. It's usually topical, and the topics may lead to different levels of participation. But each meeting is stand-alone and you can join in as you please.

In the past we've done many interesting topics ranging from cultural (Chinese pastimes, favorite menus, gender issues, etc) to grammatical (Word Order - Are there really hard and fast rules?) to simply fun (Ad Series - Words That Sell). For each meeting we attempt to have "blocks" of time: during the Chinese blocks we try to speak only Mandarin; then during the English blocks we can explain and clarify in English, if necessary.

I'm sure we can tweak the group to our liking. Regardless of your level of fluency, what's important is that everyone gets to talk and we will all listen.

(On the meeting/dinner location I'd like some suggestions since I'm new in town. Preferably around Wudaokou, and not too noisy or expensive.)

Our next meeting:

Our next meeting will be on Feb 11 and do a little early celebrating of the Chinese New Year. We're also making some changes to our group. We will meet at different Chinese restaurants for dinner as well as the discussion. To attend please RSVP to stayandhear@gmail.com. There is also a meeting fee of 5RMB for the vocabulary printouts. The cost of the dinner will be shared.

The topic for this meeting is the timely "CHINESE NEW YEAR / SPRING FESTIVAL - The Rituals and The Language".

We will explore various aspects of this most important holiday on the Chinese calendar, and the language associated with the celebration. From "红包" to "春联", there is a wealth of cultural intrigue, and we will talk about it over the famous 焖锅 (a type of hot pot)!

Meeting Info:

Chinese study group in Beijing Feb 11 Meeting + "焖锅" Dinner!

"CHINESE NEW YEAR / SPRING FESTIVAL - The Rituals and The Language"

Time: Thu. Feb. 11, 2010 7-9pm

Place: Write to Stayandhear@gmail.com for more information

Chinese speaking time: 80%+, or we try

Charge: We'll share the dinner cost (and try to keep it under 50RMB per person). 5 RMB Meeting fee for vocabulary printouts.

So come hungry and ready. Have a great year of the TIGER!

Edited January 16, 2010 at 01:56 PM by storyline
New Announcement

[storyline]

Thought I'd put something in Chinese about the group, too.

(You DON'T have to be able to read this to come to the meeting!)

北京汉语读书会／工作坊／晚餐聚会

时间：每月一次 7-9pm

地点: 各式餐厅

费用：晚餐均分＋五元会费(生词表)

北京汉语学习的平台和资源何其多，但您是否参与过读书会呢？这是一个共同学习的好机会，也能弥补上课练习机会不足的缺憾。我们在纽约曾有类似的组织，现在将在北京与您分享。无论您的汉语水平如何，都欢迎加入！

So there you have it. Hope to see you there!

Edited January 13, 2010 at 02:02 PM by storyline

[self-taught-mba]

Is this a commercial thing at all?

[storyline]

NOT AT ALL!! You have to pay for your drink/food if you order anything in the cafe, but the meeting, or the group itself, is entirely free.

I'm in China to improve my Mandarin skills as well and hope to write something about it when I get the hang of it.

I guess it depends on who shows up to make or break the thing, as study groups usually goes. Check it out and see if you like it!

[phyrex]

Well, I am here, where is everybody else? :-/

[storyline]

A big apology if I have missed anyone tonight! I'm not familiar with the subway system yet and clearly (now) one hour is not enough to cross town! I will plan better next time. Sincere apologies.

[storyline]

phyrex, I'm so sorry to have missed you. I got there late and waited for half an hour. Next time I will be there EARLY (now I know the commuting time) and stay for the full two hours for any late comers.

I just started working and will post the date for our next meeting as soon as I get my schedule. Please give the group another try. Sorry for the inconvenience, time, and the disappointment. I feel terrible about it! I am determined to get the group going and will keep on meeting. Thanks for being there.

[phyrex]

Hey storyline, thanks for the apology. I'll try my best to be there next time again, but then please don't let me down again :-/ I live about half an hour away too and can do better things with my time ;)

Anyways, see you next time!

[adrianlondon]

Like any big city, it's hard to predict how long it'll take you to get somewhere. Swap mobile phone numbers and text each other ;)

I cycled everywhere, and remember cycling from BNU to the Hard Rock Cafe and having to wait ONE HOUR at the bar for my lazy friends to arrive by taxi. Luckily, being at a bar with decent beer and a live rock band is a good way to pass the time.

[phyrex]

NOW you're telling us, adrianlondon ;)

[storyline]

I'm getting a bike myself! That day I gave myself ONE AND A HALF HOURS to get to Wudaokou from the south part of the town. When it was 20 before 7 I jumped off the train and hailed a cab. 40RMB latter I was still late! No excuses, though. I won't let you guys down again. And I'd be glad to swap numbers at the next meeting.

[adrianlondon]

I find it easier to say things with hindsight

And definitely buy a bike. It's fun, and Beijing is totally flat.

[phyrex]

Any update, dear Ms. storyline? Still no schedule?

[storyline]

I'm supposed to get my hours tomorrow, so stay tuned.

[storyline]

The schedule's in! Wednesday seems to be the best day for me. Let's start with Wednesday - apologies to those for whom the day won't work out. Maybe I'll have some flexibility with my work in the future.

So here it is: The Second First meeting!

*Next Meeting: The State of Mandarin Learning, 2009 (Our experience past and present)

Time: Wed. July 22, 7-9pm (Chinese speaking time: 50%+)

Place: Grandma's Kitchen (28, Chengfu Road, 5F, Wudaokou Shopping Mall (U Center), next to the subway stop) Find a table with a "Mandarin" sign.

I plan to be there by 6:30pm and will stay till 9pm. This is basically a weekly event, but check the event info for time or venue change before coming over.

See you all there!

[monica_lisa]

I'll be there. If I don't get lost!

[storyline]

There are quite a few shops and restaurants on the same floor, but no worries! Ask anyone there and you should be able to find us. See you then!

[storyline]

It was so great meeting you all! I had a fun time and learned a great deal. Next week we'll have a new topic as well as a new venue!

*Next Meeting: Help! Those "TRICKY WORDS" again!

We all have those: The Chinese words, phrases, or expressions that not merely baffle or confuse, but outright defy comprehension! From "也”， "就“，”还“，”反而“，"巴不得)“, to a million idioms, they pop up all the time and we simply have nowhere to hide!

So come to the study group and we'll tackle them together. Suggest here throughout the week what your "tricky words" are and we can compile a fun list.

Time: Wed. July 29, 7-9pm (Chinese speaking time: 50%+)

Place: Babela's kitchen (巴贝拉, 28 Chengfu Road, 5F, Wudaokou Shopping Mall (U Center), next to the Wudaokou subway stop) It's right across from the Gramma's Kitchen. Look for a table with a "Mandarin" sign and friendly faces.

As for my list, there's one that immediately comes to mind. I translated some stuff before and got stuck on "尽情" a lot. There's no one English word or phrase that matches closely, I think.

So there you have it. I'll see you all on the 29th!

[roddy]

Good work - what kind of turnout did you get?

[storyline]

Thanks, Roddy! We had 5 people showed up. Very interesting conversation. Any chance that we might see you there at one of these meetings?