Studying mandarin in china...?

Question

I would like to study mandarin for a semester un china. So far I've heard that the University of Pekin and the Beijin Language and Culture University are very good. Im just trying to do some research...has anyone done this? Please give me advice, share experiences..everything helps!

Answer 1

If u want to study Mandarin only , then u have a lot of options , not only in beijing , but in almost ever major city of China  ... Though i've heard the Being yu yuan wen hua daxue (beijing language and cultue university ) to among the best options .

http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/Study/default...

this link provides info about studying in beijing .

Other than beijing u can search for instituitions in Shanghai , guangzhou, Chengdu , Xi'an , Shenzhen , Tianjin (sister city of Beijing ) ,Zhengzhou and a lot more .... the fee structue of these universities vary , the ones in beijing and shanghai being the most expensive ones . But u can expect the teaching level and facilities provided being more or less at the same level .

But if u r also looking for some job oppertunities during ur stay , then u should opt for  bigger cities ....



By the way, I studied Mandarin in Zhengzhou university in Henan province > also famous for Shaolin Temple  and i also had some american and canadian class fellows at that time .

Hope it helps ...

Answer 2

I did the study abroad program thru my university, and a group of us went to Peking Univ, and I went to Shanghai's Jiao Tong Univ.

I cannot talk much about Peking Univ because I didn't go there, but I've visited the campus and found some of the dormitory to be really "OLD". There wasn't space in the room so people placed their refrigerator in the walkway.  I have also heard there were differential treatments towards student coming from different university overseas.  However, if you do decide to live outside and find your own apartment, I would suggest that you go early to check out those rooms, and don't try to find one online and settle. There has been many problems among students who overpaid, or the room was not what they thought it would be. However, I really enjoy my stay in Beijing, (besides the sandstorm in summer and cold cold winter), you can visit many places like Great Wall and Forbidden City.  

The place where I did my study abroad was at Shanghai's Jiao Tong University.  I have nothing but good things to say about them.  The dormitory is clean and well maintained.  They have cleaning ladies that clean the common area, and would come in to dust off your room and sweep/mop the floor once a week. The program was very nice as professors were very open-minded.  They have all had study abroad experience themselves and don't mind if you make negative remarks about their government. (however, we do occassionally have people outside the classroom to "listen/observe" us... The school really tries to not only teach you Chinese, but the culture as well.  They would often give out free culture/concert event tickets and even organize trips throughout the semester to take you around China. I know there is a 3 day 2 night one, and few 1 day trips that you can attend.  They also offer classes like Chinese Kung Fu, Shanghainese, and Caliography...etc.

The schedule is pretty laid back, normally you would only have classes half-day, either from 8-12 or from 1-5. There are also many local students who likes to do language exchange so you can teach them English while learning Chinese from them.

Overall, I had a great time at Jiao Tong Univ. and in China. I hope you will have similar experience if you do go. :)