LTL Beihai

[zhouhaochen]

This post is for all discussion about the new LTL Beihai (北海) school.

 

The City:

Beihai is on the mainland side of Hainan Island. It is located at the coast of Guangxi province (the same province as Guilin and Nanning) and used to be one of China's most popular beach holiday destinations before Hainan took over. It has several beaches inside the city, of which golden beach 金滩  is the most popular (about 10 minutes transport time from the LTL school).Beihai was the main trading post between the French (in Vietnam) and British (in Hong Kong) colonial empires. Beihai's old town is incredibly charming, located right next to the old city harbour and probably has the best preserved colonial architecture I have seen in all of China. With a population of about half a million it is relatively small, but is a proper city with several universities, hospitals, diving schools, bars, restaurants etc. About half the population are migrants from Northern China (mainly Hebei 河北) who moved to Beihai for the better climate and clean air.

The city has a very relaxed life style and while summers are warmer than winters, it never gets really cold in Beihai.

 

 

Immersion in Beihai

 

Beihai is very much a hidden gem in China. Many Chinese people will not even have heard of it. Differently to other cities in Guangxi or the general South of China, standard Mandarin is spoken almost everywhere in Beihai. Thats because about half the population migrated there from North China and are native Mandarin speakers. The local Cantonese exists among the older population still, but Mandarin is the dominant language, which makes for an exceptional immersion environment that usually cannot be found in other Southern Chinese cities.

The total foreign population of Beihai is approximately 50-60 people. On Saturday "foreigner meetings" at the home of a local German expat with usually about six to seven people showing up. Everyone is welcome to join, but outside this you will be speaking Chinese. 

 

The LTL Beihai School

 

We have 11 beautiful class rooms in downtown Beihai within walking distance of the old town. There is a reception, common area, large outdoor balcony and a big open area in front of the school. Lunch time badminton matches in front of the school are a common occurrence. Most of our students stay in homestays and come from all over the world.

 

Costs

 

Beihai is very affordable as a city. All LTL courses and accommodation come at a 40% discount from other cities. A taxi ride in Beihai usually costs about one dollar. Lunch maybe two.

 

If anyone has any questions about Beihai or studying there, please go ahead and ask below.

 

 

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I had spectacular seafood in Beihai! 

[malaili]

Hi,

 

I have a Chinese friend who attended a university in Beihai, and she advise me against attending Chinese classes in Beihai, because when she was a university student, she could not understand the local dialect, and she is Chinese.  Her native tongue is Guangdonghua.

 

My friend wants me to be successful in learning Mandarin.

 

Please give me your comments, I think getting out and about in Chengde and communicating during the winter, would not be difficult, hence my interest in Beihai.

 

 

[abcdefg]

On 11/21/2023 at 8:04 PM, malaili said:

I have a Chinese friend who attended a university in Beihai, and she advise me against attending Chinese classes in Beihai, because when she was a university student, she could not understand the local dialect, and she is Chinese.  Her native tongue is Guangdonghua.

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

That's true so many places. The local dialect 方言 can be impenetrable. Frankly, I would just forget about that as a selection criterion. It doesn't matter much, if at all. 

 

[Flickserve]

Each place has its own advantages and disadvantages. 
 

Teachers of mandarin should good mandarin wherever they teach. .

 

Perhaps a better question to ask your friend is where would she recommend for the choices that you have.

 

Everywhere has a local dialect but that doesn’t stop you from being a successful learner. 

[zhouhaochen]

Disclaimer: I started this threat, work for LTL, built the LTL Beihai school and am a frequent Beihai visitor.

 

On 11/22/2023 at 9:04 AM, malaili said:

I have a Chinese friend who attended a university in Beihai,

Oh that sounds a bit like an inner Cantonese language fight ?

The local dialect in that area of Guangxi is Cantonese, but quite different to the Cantonese spoken in Guangzhou. Maybe your friend did not approve of the Guangxi variety.

However, as a Mandarin student which kind of Cantonese is spoken is not really relevant and thats why Beihai is such a great place to study Mandarin in.

On 10/19/2023 at 1:22 PM, zhouhaochen said:

Differently to other cities in Guangxi or the general South of China, standard Mandarin is spoken almost everywhere in Beihai. Thats because about half the population migrated there from North China and are native Mandarin speakers.

So far in almost every taxi I have taken in Beihai the driver was from North East China (usually Hebei), spoke fluent Northern Mandarin and did not know any Cantonese. The new parts of town are almost exclusively Northern Chinese (not only language but also food wise - it is Jiaozi and Northern cuisine everywhere). 

Yes the local population (which by now is outnumbered by the Northerners who moved to Beihai due to the better climate, cleaner air and generally higher quality of life) often does speak the local dialect (like in most other city in China like Shanghai, Hangzhou etc.) at home and in local situations though. Of course all of them also speak Mandarin. The special thing about Beihai is how many people moved there from the North in the last 10 years. They speak only Mandarin and do not the local dialect. Mandarin has taken over in Beihai in the last few years. So while it is not as 100% Mandarin as Chengde or Beijing, Beihai is definitely one of the most Mandarin speaking cities in Southern China.

 

When I am in Beihai I speak Mandarin all day. I did not go to university there, but I dont think I even remember hearing someone speaking any language other than Mandarin.

 

By the way, in Chengde during the winter you still can make a lot of friends and meet people. There is a ski resort very close to the city and a lot of hotpot eating, baijiu drinking and general winter fun. However, it is definitely cold there in the winter. If you dont like cold, definitely go to Beihai, it is very far South and never gets really cold there.