The best way to learn Chinese

The best way to learn Chinese, Mandarin and to progress further and further

3 words:

Keep at it.

It may sound simple and something that before you learn a language, something that you’d easily do, but learning a new language, especially a difficult one, can often cause you to lose some motivation for it, especially if you find some aspects of it difficult, it’s the same with any language!

So to really develop your skills and to learn Mandarin well enough and to feel satisfied with your progress, you need to keep yourself motivated in order to loving to learn the language at each opportunity. This might mean searching for different methods online for the certain point that you’re stuck at, or even asking someone that is Chinese, can really benefit your progression in learning this beautiful yet challenging language. There are a huge variety of resources available, so you can certainly keep going and look at the problem from different angles and to find your true learning style.

Mandarin for foreigners is especially difficult when trying to learn the tones, and distinguishing between the pinyin as it can take a while to get used to the different sounds. This is an extremely important part of learning Chinese, and I wouldn’t recommend progressing your level any more until you’ve got this part completely nailed, as when I first learnt Chinese I thought my tones (listening and speaking) were really good, that was until I actually came to China and tried speaking to someone and they couldn’t understand what I said, until I started my full comprehensive class and spent all day learning the tones and listening to the distinguished sounds.

Get this part nailed by listening and repeating the words, short passages both at a short pace and also quickly. Then start to merge it into new words that you’re learning and ensure that you get the tones of each character right before moving on, sit there and repeat it to yourself, you could even record yourself (a lot of people do this) and just keep practicing and practicing until it’s perfect, it’ll make your life a lot easier if you do this.

One of the best things to do in learning Chinese Mandarin in my opinion is to use apps, podcasts, passages, movies, radio etc. to learn listening of Chinese as this is often classed as the most difficult part, and ensure that you can associate all of the tones to characters, because you’ll get to a point that if you’re studying it day after day you won’t rely on pinyin and you won’t visualize the language solely on pinyin but you’ll actually be able to see and speak Chinese characters (if you can understand my meaning), and this is the point that your Chinese is becoming truly good.

For more information, please check our official website: www.studyinchina.hzlearning.com

10 TIPS BEFORE TRAVELING ABROAD

                               

Summer is coming and you don’t know how to prepare your travel. Enjoy your safe trip by preparing it well. Generally, there is a lot of things we need to remember. Here you will find the 10 most useful tips you must not forget to do before your departure. 

Make a copy of important documents 

Make several photocopies of all your important documents (for example : Passport) in case you lose your original documents. You also can scan them. Leave one in your purse, one in your luggage, one with a trusted friend or a family member and one copy in your hotel room. 

Tell your bank you will be abroad 

Before you go, you have to contact your bank. When you will withdraw money abroad, your bank needs to know in which country you are traveling and in case of emergency. Don’t forget to prepare you money few days before. In foreign countries for example in England, you need to change your money. Pay attention to the exchange rates. 

Get insured  

Accident can happen. You must be covered abroad. Pay health insurance in case of emergency it is always a great decision to get insured. In foreign hospitals, patients often need to pay in cash. Moreover, before traveling, you should visit a doctor to find out what kind of health precautions you must take in the country you want to go. You will probably need vaccinations. 

Check your passport 

In case, you have a passport you must check the date of validity. It must be valid for at least six months after you come back home. 

If you don’t have a passport, hurry up and apply for it right now ! Basically, it takes 3 weeks or 1 month to receive your passport. 

                               

Visas 

You will probably need a visa for your trip but it depends on your destination. Don’t hesitate to check on the Internet or contact directly the embassy of the foreign country for more information. 

Basic First Aid 

In your first Aid you need to prepare important medicines because you may not have access to medicines when traveling abroad. 

Mobile phone 

Check in advance if your phone will work in the country where you plan to go. Contact your service provider about the costs of receiving and making calls abroad. Download free applications (Whatsapp, Wechat, Viber) in order to get in touch with your family at any time without paying anything. 

Keep a copy of your hotel address  

Before you leave, make a copy of your hotel address in case you lose your road. You can also write on your phone the address and the number phone of the hotel. Don’t forget to look at the itinerary from the airport until the hotel. 

Arrive early to the airport 

If you do not want to miss your flight go 2 or 3 hours early to the airport.  If you want to avoid In summer you are not the only one to take a flight. 

Separate your money 

Do not keep so much money with you. Get more money in more than one location. Separate your money in different places like in your luggage, in your purse or in your hotel. It is strongly recommended to do not keep your credit card and  your cash at the same place when you are not in your hotel. During your trip, be attentive to leave your cash in a safe place. 

Finally, be open-minded and positive during your trip. It could be a great summer holidays. 

You still do not have any plan for this summer ?

Spend your summer in China and visit 4 wonderful cities. We give you the opportunity to discover China from 6th to 19th August. 

Contact us for more information : studyinchina@hzlearning.com

Or scan the following QR code

Chinese University Scholarship

 The 2017 Master Program of International Business

 for Russian and Ukraine Students 

About Anhui University of Finance and Economics

Anhui University of Finance and Economics (AUFE), founded in 1959，is one of the key universities in Anhui Province. With a total area of 1014050 square meters, AUFE comprises two campuses: Longhu Lake West Campus and Longhu Lake East Campus. AUFE consists of 11 schools, 2 departments, 29 university-affiliated research institutions and 54 undergraduate programs. AUFE has a total faculty of 1428 (990 professional teachers), and boasts 29000 full-time undergraduates and 1800 postgraduates. 

Objectives of the Program:

With the “The Belt and Road” strategy, this International Business  Master program teaches international students the international trade and business theories and stimulates their creativity and imagination in the global business. It helps students better understand Chinese language, culture, arts, and history. Students could speak fluent Chinese mandarin. Taking this program will get students a brilliant future.

Opening Date: September 1, 2017 

Application Deadline：June 10, 2017 

Teaching Language: Chinese 

Duration: three years 

Enrollment：20-25 students 

Teaching Model: 

First year: to learn Chinese Mandarin 

Second and Third year: to learn International business lessons

Application Requirements：

1. The students must have Bachelor Degree 
2. The student is no more than 32 years old (including 32). 
3. No criminal record. 
4. The student must be healthy. 

(Examination by Anhui Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau is required in one week after arrival at the student's own expense. Those unqualified cannot be accepted and must be back to their own country.)

Tuition:

AUFE exempts the tuition fee during the study in AUFE. 

Accommodation

AUFE exempts the accommodation fee during the study in AUFE. 

Scholarship:

AUFE will grant a scholarship of 20,000 yuan to each student in this program per year at most, in which 16,000 yuan is the basic scholarship that each student will be awarded, and the rest will be granted on the basis of the student’s academic performance.   

Insurance: 

Every student is required to buy insurance by themselves. (800yuan per year) 

Materials required:

A. Application Form for International Students,

B. Bachelor Degree copy 

C. Transcript of your university 

D. Passport copy

E. Two-inch photo

F. Two recommendation letters 

Welcome to share this information with your friends. 

For how to apply for this scholarship, please contact me via mary@hzlearning.com. You could also scanned the following QR code via wechat for more information.

Studying and Working Abroad：Why You Should Do It

Studying and Working Abroad: Why You Should Do It

It has been now three years since I have left home, right after high school, to start my experience abroad. I went to two different universities in the UK and Denmark and I am now interning a Chinese company in Beijing for the next three months and I am surely planning to keep going.  Here are the main reasons why you should also go abroad without hesitation.

1- It’s NOT as expansive as you think

Do your research. There are many deals and opportunities out there that will save you a lot of money. To give you few examples from my own experience, I’ve found out searching the internet that the Scottish government was paying for the universities’ tuition fees of every student from the EU which led me to enroll in one of them for free. When I did my exchange year in Copenhagen, I was receiving 300 euros a month from the Erasmus program and had no tuitions fees to pay. Another great example is the Chinese government who offer scholarshipshttps://plus.google.com/116009838788976199635/posts/93s1UeApm7v to foreign students coming to China and cover their tuition fees as well as all other expenses including rent but also pay them extra money each month!

2- It makes your CV looks great 

Nowadays, the job market is so competitive that you have to distinguish yourself from the rest in order to catch the attention of potential employers and experiences abroad are a critical asset for this matter. As a rule of thumb, the younger you leave and the further away you go from home the more valuable you become to them.

3- You will learn English no matter what… 

When going abroad as you meet other foreigners or locals, you will find yourself speaking and hearing English everywhere. You will then be inevitably learning it faster than you ever did at school and you’ll realize how important this language can be.

 4-…and other extremely valuable skills for the future

Going abroad definitely gets you out of your comfort zone as you’ll have to adapt to new cultures, make new friends, and do things by yourself. It might be hard, especially at the beginning but in return you’ll become independent, flexible and a proactive thinker.

To quickly sum it up, these three past years have been the most interesting one of my life where I had learn and had fun the most and that is why I would advise to anyone without exception to go for it 

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH 20 YUAN IN CHINA?

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH 20 YUAN IN CHINA?

After the previous article about “The living cost in China”, our content team has decided to give you a better view how you can spend money in China in the most “economical” way. With 20 Yuan, which is not a big amount of money (approximately $3 US), the basic necessity can be obtained. 

Below, with our illustration, we will show you how a local here spend their 20 Yuan in their daily life. 

Please notice that, the price range can be different in different cities, and it absolutely depends on what kind of product brand you choose. However, we have picked up the average price, with acceptable – quality brand for a decent life standard. 

Rice – rice – rice, the thing you see everywhere when you set your feet in China. Normally, spending 20 Yuan will give you 1 – 2 kg of rice. In China, you can buy rice in a big or small factory – produced bags or you can buy it as how much as you want. 

For the chicken meat product, depending on which part of chicken you want, the price will be varied. For example, chicken legs and wings are normally cheaper than chicken breast. 

The same goes with beef. The price is varied based on your choice of meat. However, beef is generally more expensive than chicken, so you get less when paying the same 20 Yuan. 

Be careful here in China that you cannot drink water from the tap, so whether filter then boil it, or buy the bottle of water from supermarket. With 20 Yuan, you can buy 7 0.5l bottles of water. The bigger the bottle is, the cheaper it will be for the water. 

Generally, fruits are quite affordable in China, except you want some Western fruits like avocado, berries, etc. Normally, a kilogram of apple costs 10 – 13 Yuan, so 20 Yuan gives you roughly 1.5 kilogram of apple. 

Who doesn’t want to get some beers with friends and chill? Good news here is that beers is much cheaper, comparing to European or American price. With 20 Yuan, you can get 3 big bottle of good local beers. And yes, if you are looking for Western imported beer in China, it will be more expensive. 

Talking about an international fast food brand McDonalds, the price is a bit cheaper comparing to Europe or America. With 20 Yuan, you can get a 6 – piece box of chicken nuggets with a medium – size Coke. Spending more 9 Yuan, you can get a perfect menu of a hamburger, fries and a drink. 

Lastly, if you want to try some Chinese food, the price rage strongly depends on what kind of food and restaurant you are going to have. In a normal restaurant, a bowl of noodle soup costs 1 8 – 20 Yuan which is enough for a lunch break. However, if you pick up street food, the price will be much cheaper, just from 5 – 15 Yuan. And of course, for the high – end restaurants, 20 Yuan will probably just give you a cup of drink. 

Here is what 20 Yuan equal to, in terms of food, drink, and daily necessity. If you want to see more, please follow us and we will get you more updated and interesting information about life in China. 

If you want to get updated for the information about study in China, scholarship in China, life in China, please follow us via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HongzhouLearning/

Or Scan our QR code via wechat:

Summer Trip in China

Summer Trip in China

We organize a great trip in China which aims at promoting cultural exchange and educational travel in China for students. We took the time to create this trip according to students interests. When you travel with us we care about you and the details. What is important for you is important for us. We offer you a safe experience and an educational impact on your future.

This summer trip is especially for students who would like to study or travel in China. We know that it is difficult to visit an university in China when you are abroad that is why during this trip we give you the opportunity to visit four universities. At the same time, it is the best opportunity to discover China as you have never seen before. You will discover China through activities and excursion. It is a unique experience that you won’t forget for a lifetime. You will discover amazing places, experience a new culture, enjoy the local cuisine and visit different universities. This tour is the best way to help students gain new cultural experience and make them more open-minded.

The program : *From 6^thAugust to 19^th August 2017*

You won’t travel in only one city but in four wonderful cities in China. During 14 days you will be in total immersion among Chinese language and culture while visiting Beijing, Xi’an, Huai’an and Nanjing. 

The incredible program includes to visit the ancient Heritage of China (The Great Wall, The Terracota Army, Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum, Tieshan Temple…) and to participate to different activities for example, learning Chinese Kong Fu, learning how to make Chinese Dumplings or how to write Chinese calligraphy. 

Benefits :

• This trip will provide you so much fun as well as unforgettable friends and memories. 
• You could get $1320 scholarship from the universities.

Take your chance and participate !

Want to take a look at our brochure ?

Send an email at studyinchina@hzlearning.com

Write your name, your age and your country. We will give you more information about the summer trip. 

Follow us on : 

Facebook : Hongzhou Learning 

Twitter : https://twitter.com/Hongzhou_Mary

Or just scan the following QR code.

              

Chinese Holidays

Here are some of the Chinese holidays that you’ll experience during your time in China (and also in other countries around the world). I’ve written it in the order that you’ll likely experience it in China during study as it’s what many students are interested in.

---

01

Qingming

Qingming, or Tomb-sweeping day is a day held for those relatives and friends that have passed away, whereby family and friends will spend the day cleaning the tomb of the deceased including paying respects to them too, often the deceased person’s favorite food and wine are taken to sacrifice to them, along with paper resembling money, this is all out of respect to the person.
You’ll often see many people light lanterns or fly kites during this time in the hope that it brings good luck to those that do. This day will be April the 2^nd to April the 4^th in 2017.

02

May Day

Simply a day off in the year, in respect of the international labor day, which in 2017 you’ll have April the 29^th to May the 1^st off due to the weekend.

03

Dragon Boat Festival

This festival is from 28^th of May to the 30^th of May and the specific day off is the 30^th of May, whereby originally it was used as a hygienic day where people will use herbs to dispel diseases and viruses. However nowadays the Chinese will spend this day eating Zongzi, which is a pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves and is an extremely fun thing to do yourself, or you can just buy them in the supermarket!

04

Mid-Autumn Festival

Usually experienced in September, but due to the Lunar activity this year in 2017, the Mid-Autumn Festival (one day off) will be celebrated during the National Day Holiday. This day falls on the 15^th day of the 8^th month according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, and is the 2^nd biggest festival after the Chinese New Year. Many people spend the day walking around the local parks, going to restaurants etc. and heading over to local tourist sites such as lakes and parks to eat moon-cakes and to see the moon at night, whereby this day is often called Moon Festival due to the moon being at its brightest and largest at this point. You can definitely take some really beautiful photos of the yellow moon.

05

National Day

This is the next celebrated festival whereby the majority of people will return to their hometowns depending on the layout of the off days (i.e. before a weekend for example). In 2017 National day includes 3 days off between October the 1^st to October the 8^th, as next year they’ll have an extra day due to the landing of the Mid-Autumn Festival day. On days that people don’t flock back to their hometowns they’ll spend the day with friends, family and strangers in their current location, for example people in Beijing often go to Tian’anmen square for the flag raising ceremony alongside viewing the vast amount of flower shows put on display in the area. Oh and just bear in mind that you’ll likely hear a lot of fireworks during this time, and everywhere will be extremely busy, no matter where you go.

06

New Year's Day

Everyone knows what this is and in China it’s still celebrated, so you’re likely to be having 1 day off on January the 1^st.

07

Chinese New Year Festival

The biggest and most important holiday in Chinese culture, whereby people from around the world will return to their families for this special family time. It’s often called the people’s migration, where in 2015, more than 9 million people LEFT Beijing to their hometowns and being their myself I can certainly say it was a ghost town, being the only person on the streets was an extremely strange feeling in such a large and normally busy city. Chinese New Year consists of around 3 days off where in 2017 the holiday’s days will be January 27 to February the 2^nd. The specific Chinese New Year Day in 2017 will be January the 28^th, where many foreigners will flock to large tourist areas to see fireworks and other entertainment displays held by the remaining locals.
Chinese New Year or Spring Festival starts off with the family cleaning the house and going shopping for festival shopping, especially food! They’ll likely put up spring couplets containing the Fu character and paste it around their home and outside their door for good wishing on their family and neighbors. A large tradition at this time is to eat, which can include eating dumplings at the early morning of the new year, handing red envelopes of money to those younger than you and not working, and also many families will have firework and cracker displays outside their home.
Some good gift ideas include Liquor, cigarettes, tea, fruits, health-care products, red envelopes etc. and bad gift ideas include clocks, umbrellas, shoes, pears, sharp objects etc.
This is a great opportunity for locals and foreigners to head to the local temple fairs (or fairs held at parks) and experience many traditional activities, games, food and wonderful entertainment during the holiday period, it’s definitely something that you need to try.

Not only this but in certain cities and provinces such as Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou etc. especially in areas south of China, locals will conduct Dragon Boat Racing, definitely something which is an experience to see with your own eyes.