Beijing Chinese Learning - Reading and writing

[felix101]

Hi there,

I'm moving to Beijing at the end of the month and will be studying Mandarin fulltime.

Currently I'd say my Mandarin level is advanced (speak Cantonese too). I can have conversation fully in Mandarin without too much trouble. Can read newspapers, periodicals and short novels without a lot of difficulty.

I'm looking for a fairly intensive course which will

a) improve my spoken Mandarin (though I think this will improve outside of class anyway), in particular Business Mandarin to a level where I can work comfortably solely in Mandarin

B) improve my writing and reading in Chinese so that I can write reports, formal letters etc (in a work context)

c) improve my Chinese to a level where I can appreciate more classical Chinese literature and poetry .. (three kingdoms, tangshi etc)

d) improve my knowledge of Chinese history

Maybe a tall order - I'm looking to study for 5-6 months v intensively and will likely look for work in Shanghai/Beijing afterwards.

I've applied to Tsinghua, BCLU and have looked at diqiucun, Boomerang (beijing) language institute and Sinoland College (oral chinese)

So far, it seems diqiucun do not have classes relating to chinese literature/history and not a lot of emphasis on written chinese

As my chinese level is quite specific and is not exactly a 'foreign' language to me, it seems the Uni courses are not that suitable either.

That leaves Boomerang and, having checked for 5-6 months, it is quite pricey (ie could use that money for an MBA). Therefore, I wanted to see if there are any schools that cater mainly for lessons in written/reading chinese, with emphasis on history/literature and perhaps business?

If there are, maybe I can take classes in addition tos omething like sinoland college.

Thanks for your help!

F

[amandagmu]

I'd like to know too. I have been looking for a while and found nothing close to what I got at ICLP (which pretty much has everything you described). I supposed IUP (Tsinghua) has it but few of us are independently wealthy.

I don't know if my level corresponds precisely to yours (I'm at the archives reading records right now without too much difficulty, but sometimes still need the dictionary) but it's my conversation skills I'd like to bring up as well - reading and discussing history or literature, for example. If you're interested and will be living not too far from where I do (Dongzhimen/Dongsishitiao) we could always try and get a small group class going..............

EDIT: I'm looking for something once or twice a week (evenings or weekends) max right now, so maybe you can do something in addition to a small group??? For example, I don't really have a use for business Chinese so I wouldn't be interested. (Formal writing and language would be good though.)

[driftman]

I've applied to Tsinghua, BCLU and have looked at diqiucun, Boomerang (beijing) language institute and Sinoland College (oral chinese)

have you tried Live the Language? My level is noway near yours, but I have met a few students there who seemed very advanced and study quite specialised courses there.

They have a thread on here: http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/26383-live-the-language-ltl/

I definitely recommend them, though I can in no way comment on the quality of their Tang Dynasty Poem teaching, as I am lightyears away from being able to understand those, but they do take a lot of time to personalise courses for their students.

[yellowpower]

@felix101

Hi

just curious to know what program and where you have decided to do your language studies....

am wondering if anyone has done any Uni intensive language program in China targetting heritage speakers or chinese as a second language background learners, which focuses more on developing practical writing skills (business, academic, etc) and more complex chinese conversations like debates, interviewing, discussions.

thanks..

[felix101]

@amanda - sorry for the late reply... I have yet to move to Beijing...I went there last week to see a few schools. As it happens , seems diqiucun has nothing appropriate. Also checked out Sinoland College - their assessment was there wasn't much they could do to help, specifically for oral Chinese. I asked for their recommendation and they suggested IUP. Since Boomerang LI has ex-IUP teachers, I've come to the conclusion that this is the best option for me. If you are still looking for small classes I am still interested in that also.

@yellowpower - as above, I haven't started courses yet but since I assume our targets are about the same, I would suggest something like IUP or the Boomerang Institute as Uni courses are definitely not tailor-made. Additionally they are typically 1-on-1. Going to these mean you would have to pay through the nose tho... imo it's worth it if it's not gonna break the bank...

[amandagmu]

Indeed I am. When will you be ready to start? I'm considering preparing to take the new HSK 5 at the end of September or October... but I still haven't found a suitable class for that either. Seems like nobody wants to help me if I want classes beyond intermediate these days. What kind of things could we get the ex-IUP teachers to do for us? I'd be willing to try that option.

[yellowpower]

@felix 101

hi, thanks for the update and sharing...been toying with the idea like U to check out the programs and schools in person b4 signing on, and you're ahead of the curve....can really appreciate your quest to find a program suitable for yr background and level b'cos I've the same problems.....right now, there doesn't seem to be much in terms of real practical writing courses and developing professional (work-related or serious discussions) oral proficiency offered by any Uni programs , to me there doesn't appear much for heritage speakers/learners backgrounds. I'm done with vocab memorisation without application, and sentence drills that follow the textbook to the T, there's a time and place for that, but I've moved on. And no intention of being stuck in the rut.

It's harder to find the right fit (if there's even such a thing) when you know how and what you want to learn, then there's the other mother lode of teacher and teaching expectations. IUP, CIEE or CET progrmas are too expensive, they're good but their focus may not meet my learning needs. Dunno, have you heard anything about LivetheLanguage school in Beijing?

keep us posted...more power to U...from yellowpower with THANKS!!!

[felix101]

@ yellowpower - thanks for your support. I actually did a fair amount of research prior to this. From my understanding of the uni courses offered, if you are serious about learning mandarin, Beijing University is the best. However, all uni courses focus mainly on written Chinese and therefore to improve oral mandarin it is best to take courses outside of the uni. I met a heritage mandarin speaker (Taiwan) who spent 1 year at Beida, though I am not sure his mandarin has improved significantly.

Not sure about your motives but mine are to be completely fluent, so I think IUP types are the best way to go....

I've not heard much about LivetheLanguage but I've done a little research and am not sure it is the right place for me.

The other thing you could try are business chinese courses which may suit what you are looking for..

@ Amanda : At the same time I have received an offer for an MBA at one of the Beijing universities so am undecided as to whether there will be time for extra evening classes.

From my understanding, once you reach a certain level it is very hard to find the right course/ teachers...

Ex-IUP offer completely tailored courses but I can't say for sure as I didn't have time to take their preliminary test and speak with tutors...

Will keep you updated - am likely to be in Beijing by middle August either way

F

[yellowpower]

@felix 101

thanks for suggestions and ideas about language study....think I might consider taking HSK 6,and then apply for grad school...language study is good to a certain point, but sometimes to reach a higher level of proficiency for fluency, it may mean full immersion like studying in Chinese for the 'needed breakthrough'. No perfect formula, each one of us will need to figure out what works best for us.

wishing U all the best for yr studies ahead and jia you xue hao pu tong hua!

[moncrieffalgy]

Sorry for bringing up this thread again, but I find myself in exactly the same position as felix101:

- Heritage Mandarin speaker

- Can generally have a conversation in Mandarin without too much difficulty

- Can read Chinese language materials without needing to use the dictionary, but quite slowly

- The difference is that I'll be studying Chinese full-time

I plan to head to China for a year to brush up my Mandarin upon graduation, and am looking for almost exactly the same things as felix101, i.e. a fairly intensive course which will:

1. Improve my spoken Mandarin, especially in Business Mandarin, such that I can function well in a Chinese-language environment

2. Improve my writing and reading in Chinese so that I can write reports, formal letters etc (in a work context)

3. Give me a broad idea of Chinese history and literature

4. (optional) Give me a basic idea of Chinese working culture, enough for me to start working in a Chinese-language environment without making a fool of myself. The finer points come with experience, of course.

My understanding is that university courses might not be too suitable for someone in my position, partly because they are catered more to basic or intermediate-level students, and are usually not tailored to the individual. (IUP is perhaps an exception, but I don't want to spend all my time studying and lose out on the opportunity to go around Beijing and meet people. I'm also an avid tennis player and am looking forward to joining a local club!)

Felix101, if you're still reading this thread, I'd love to hear more about what you decided when you reached Beijing this August.

Other than that, I'd be grateful for any recommendations at what sort of schools/programmes I should be looking at.

[hibicc]

I'm BICC's marketing manager and in 2-3 days you can have a look at our new website : www.hibicc.com . We are the biggest private language school in Beijing. There are many teaching shops in Beijing which are opened in 2 bedroom apartments but we are legitimate Chinese teaching school in Beijing with 2 campuses.

As per your requirement 1,2 and 4 , you can join our business Chinese class (intensive). For requirement 3 you can add on few lessons of Chinese history.

We are the only school who provides free student's visa other than the universities. I can state many other reasons on why to choose BICC but I leave it on you, just go to our website and look for the video of our school, that should convince you to join this school.

Otherwise universities are pretty good too and they are fairly cheap as compared to the private schools.

For more info write at : info@hibicc.com