Advanced Chinese Classes?

[channyb]

Hi all!

I am planning to go to Beijing next Feb/March for 2-3 months for some intensive mandarin training. I've looked up BLCU and Beida and they offer short-term courses that look really great. However, I have been living in Hong Kong for all my life and I believe I have a fairly standard knowledge of Chinese. During my stay, I just really hope to brush up my mandarin (I can't pronounce the words properly) and improve my writing skills.

I would just like to know if BLCU or Beida offers advanced classes for someone who has already studied Chinese for a relatively long period of time?

Any advice on this matter would be really appreciated!!

Thank you

[abcdefg]

During my stay, I just really hope to brush up my mandarin (I can't pronounce the words properly) and improve my writing skills.

If your needs are in any way "not typcial of the average student" you will be better off with a well-qualified private tutor.

[gato]

Are you a native Cantonese speaker looking to improve your Mandarin? If so, a private tutor will probably be more effective. They cost about RMB 50 to 100 per hour. If you go to a small city like Qingdao, it'll be cheaper.

[jennyjlj]

As far as I know, BLCU has some short-term's lessons every year. And you are required to take an language exam, so you can be assigned to A,B,C,D four grade. These lessons include listening, speaking and intensive classes. In these lessons,there are 15 or more students and you can't choose the time. If you want to learn Chinese culture ,there are another new lessons in BLCU. Such as Short-term Advanced Chinese Culture Program and Intermediate Mandarin Program for Students of Chinese Descent. You can consult these from http://www.blcu.edu.cn/lzb/lx/index.ASP.

If you want to take lessons in small class or in private class, you can choose a training school. If you want to know more information about learning Chinese in Beijing, you can contect me with the E-mail: lovevic9@hotmail.com

[amandagmu]

I suggest contacting any schools or tutors in advance at any or all places and explaining your situation. Although they will all likely force you to take an exam, I've found that some schools have special classes for people like you. In Taipei, for example, the ICLP program placed special people like you ONLY with others in the same situation, in a small class of 3-4 students. I think BLCU has a lot of similar students. I know that Chinese-Americans or Chinese-Canadians often end up in "special" classes because they can often speak very well but can hardly read or write, and I presume you aren't the first Cantonese speaker to want to learn Mandarin pronunciation.

[Peiruo]

I understand the best, though most intensive and expensive, program in China is the IUP program at Tsinghua. it can be taken as a semester or a year (maybe shorter term too). Whether this is the best for developing 标准发音 I'm not sure. I know that they can tailor their courses somewhat to student's needs. I know at least three people who have said it has been the boost to finally get their chinese to a level that they feel satisfied with (though, its a language right? how are we ever goingt o be satisfied with our level?) I'd get in contact with them and ask them about how they treat students like yourself and what methods they would apply in your situation.

http://ieas.berkeley.edu/iup/

Alternatively I think "sinoland" in Zhongguancun is awesome for 口语. I always booked myself in with a tutor there before my 口语 exams. They apply the 80:20 rule in their teaching method, so students are talking for 80% of the class time, class sizes are limited to around 3-4 so in terms of getting your functional chinese up, I think its a good approach. I can't speak for someone at your level of chinese comprehension though. 各人各得吧 - they use bclu books but a better approach then most universities in my opinion

祝你好运！