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New to China - Good places to learn Chinese?
Oct 19, 2010 02:51
  • CHRISB2010
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Hey everyone,
My wife and I just arrived in China and would both like to start learning Chinese. Cost matters, but its not the most important aspect we are looking at. If anyone has any experience with a trusted teacher/service/company etc., please feel free to offer any insights. Thanks in advance!
Oct 19, 2010 02:53
#1  
  • BIRDROCKSTER
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If you want to speak Chinese, I recommend doing it online. I've been doing it from the Philippines since I left Hangzhou a couple of months ago. Private tutors seemed nice at first, but my motivation to continually meet and study on their schedule waned after a couple of weeks. I tried online courses from Surf Chinese and study on my own schedule from home now.
I would also recommend taking Tai Chi lessons from a professional instructor from around where you will live. You and your wife will find it very relaxing and fulfilling while you live in China. Good luck!
Oct 19, 2010 22:20
#2  
  • ARIESBUNNY
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Welcome to China.

You can learn Chinese language at any city of China. I am sure all the teachers can speak standard Mandarin Chinese. Whereas, generally speaking, common people in the cities of North China speak better Mandarin than those from south.

But it is recommended you should avoid super cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou..... because of the high life expenses and too crowded people there. Sure if you still love to know about them, you can travel there but not live there.

Culture exploring will make your language learning more interesting. As the hometown of Confucius, Shandong province is a nice place for culture learning with long history and many historital resorts. Qingdao is a beautiful coastal city in Shandong province with nice climate, reasonable prices for housing & food and friendly people. It is well known for the so fine beach in China.

Search the internet for more knowledge of Qingdao city. I am sure you will love it.

Good luck and enjoy your staying in China with your wife.
Nov 4, 2010 03:21
#3  
  • CHRISB2010
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Thanks for the help! @BirdRockster ---> As for the online courses you mentioned, I have never tried them before. How are they taught / what is it like? Thanks
Nov 10, 2010 09:26
#4  
  • HZAUWO
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hi, I am a student, I want to learn spoken English and I can teach you Chinese, so we can have face to face chat online using MSN or skype.

I think the online language exchange could be a useful addition to your personal tutor, at least. what is more, you will gain better understanding on cultural difference between east and west through the direct interactions with young Chinese.
My Email is foxmail.com|hzauwo.
Nov 11, 2010 22:59
#5  
GUEST12246 hi,if u live in beijing,mybe i can help u to learn chinese and get a intership in company.
Nov 11, 2010 23:09
#6  
  • GETIN2CHINA1
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contact me if u live in beijing.
Nov 15, 2010 00:42
#7  
  • BIRDROCKSTER
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All of my lessons are taught on Skype with Surf Chinese. I think they also do classroom lessons as well, but you should ask them if thats what you want. My teacher has been excellent so far, encouraging, and keeps the class interesting. If I have any questions about anything specific I want to learn, I just ask her.
Nov 18, 2010 22:42
#8  
  • WEICTORY
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the good local universities or colleges, they surely provide chinese lessons for foreigners, on the other hand, they are trustful.
Nov 25, 2010 20:47
#9  
  • ONS189
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I've been doing business in China and found that the spoken part of Chinese is the most important part for building "guanxi." If you take an online course and are thinking of doing business, I recommend doing an oral Chinese course to learn Chinese.
Feb 24, 2020 20:03
#10  
GUEST92234 It depends on which city you live in. If you are lucky enough to live in big cities like Beijing or Shanghai, then you will have a large number of Chinese language schools to choose from. I suggest you consider professional Chinese language schools like Hutong, Tailormade or That's Mandarin over private tutors. Some private Chinese tutors are not experienced and their purpose of teaching Chinese is just making friends with foreigners.
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