Yoyou Chinese Review

[eion_padraig]

I was one of the forum participants that was given a month long subscription to Yoyou Chinese. At least one other person posted a review here at #10; http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/42654-access-to-yoyo-chineses-videos-for-chinese-forum-members/

 

Just to give a bit of background. I'm an advanced elementary learner quickly making my way into an intermediate level. I currently live in China , and previously lived in China for several years about a decade ago when I started to study the language. About 2 years ago, I started studying Chinese again while living in the US before moving back to China several months back.

 

After looking at the various video based lessons, I focused in on the Grammar section. Much of my study of Chinese has been on my own with tutors or one-a-week classes. My abilities have tended to be the most developed in practical areas, but I've always felt my knowledge of grammar was incomplete. It's been impacting me more as my vocabulary in speaking and reading has developed, so I'm not able to convey as complex ideas or understand more complex sentence structures.

 

I found the Yoyo Chinese grammar sections to be extremely helpful. There are several areas where I had a basic understanding, like complements of results and complement of directions, but textbooks never did a very good job of clarifying these issues. I found the grammar section to do an excellent job of building logically from lesson to lesson. Unfortunately, I only made it up through about lesson 47 - 48 because for a while I was on vacation without internet access.

 

There are several other elements to Yoyo Chinese that I liked. The videos' production value are very good. I thought the graphics (cartoons) did a lot to enhance what was being discussed. I would also agree with several of the claims they make on their website regarding the length of the videos and helping native English speakers. The length of the videos are long enough to introduce important information, but not too long as to lose focus. Yangyang Cheng does an excellent job of dealing with issues that are specific to native English speakers as they study Chinese. Some of these issues I have already overcome, but I recall them being difficult for me in my earlier stages of learning the language. The PDF that come with the lessons are good reminders and examples of what was discussed in the lesson, though they are generally short (usually 1 page) so they're not going to be something you spend a lot of time on.

 

As someone who lives in China and gets a lot of native Chinese input and who has the ability to understand these conversations, I did not spend much time on the other aspects of Yoyo Chinese, though I think they could be helpful for beginners or those not living in places where they have much opportunity to hear native Chinese conversations.

 

One of the frustrations I had while using it was the speed of accessing it while in China. This probably has to do with my internet speed and getting access to things while behind the GFW, rather than anything to do with Yo Yo Chinese. Things were slightly faster while using a VPN. However, the delays were a bit annoying at times, and would have been more annoying had I been paying the subscription fee. I would generally let it play through without listening to it and then replay it again so there wouldn't be any delays.

 

I also found the layout of the website to be a bit irritating. I had to click through several layers to get to the grammar section I wanted each time. Again, this was not a huge issue, and after using the website for a bit I was able to find what I wanted. It was just a bit slower than I would have liked and it was compounded by my internet issues.

 

So I think this is a viable option for someone who is looking for structure in their Chinese study. You'd probably still want a textbook as a secondary source and something to develop your reading/writing skills.

[miknight]

Great review! I pretty much agree with all your points. I've been a subscriber to the site for a while now and quite enjoy it. I definitely agree that the grammar stuff and use of visual effects during the lessons are a real stand-out, and it's being constantly updated.

 

Probably my biggest annoyance is that the videos can't easily be downloaded for offline viewing (e.g. loading on to an iPad while on a trip without good internet).

 

For what it's worth, I don't experience any speed issues from Australia, which does indeed suggest the GFW is the problem for you.

[lechuan]

Thanks for the review!

 

Yoyo Chinese membership is 40% off until Dec 1st with the coupon code YOYOTURKEY

 

(No affiliation, just noticed it when I logged into the site to check out some of the sample videos)

[winterpromise31]

Do you have any suggestions on what would be a good next step after finishing the Yoyochinese lessons? I'm working through the Intermediate course and am not sure what to tackle next. 

Thanks!
Cassandra