More than 1.3 billion people speak Mandarin Chinese, making it the most spoken language in the world. However, the fact remains that non-native speakers represent only a small percentage of this huge group. Why is that so? Well, it seems like most people consider Chinese to be extremely difficult to learn. While this widespread opinion [...]
On September 23rd Hutong School Sydney had its grand opening. It was a festive occasion with cake, champagne and ribbon cutting! Special guest Josephine Hao was there as one of Hutong School Beijing’s Alumna, she talked about her great experience in Beijing and she has highly recommended the Intensive Chinese Program. She would recommend anyone [...]
So you’ve taken the exciting step of learning Mandarin Chinese. You’ve got all your tools lined up: your phrasebook, dictionary, learning app, Youtube channels...the works. For the first couple of days, you rush headlong into your learning, and it seems to pay off quickly. You get a few words or basic phrases under your belt [...]
It's that time of the year. Award season is here and it's official, we're excited to announce that Hutong School has won That's Beijing Readers' Choice for "Mandarin School of the Year" for the third year running! There are a lot of Mandarin schools in Beijing so getting the recognition, as one of the [...]
One of the things that makes life in China so interesting is the sheer diversity of people you meet on a daily basis. If you've spent any amount of time in China, you've undoubtedly run into one or more of these colorful characters... Beijing Taxi Driver 北京的哥侃爷 Hometown: Beijing Favorite Drink: Cheap green [...]
You Call it Lurking, I Call it Web-Based Learning Note: This article is the second in a two-part series. If you haven't seen part 1, we suggest you read that first. Hopefully, we've convinced you that if you're learning Chinese, all that time you spend staring at pictures of other people's avocado toast [...]
Essential Chinese Phrases for the Social Media Addict Admit it: you checked your newsfeed this morning before you even got out of bed. You pick your meals based on how good you think they'll look on Instagram. And yes, you even browse Twitter when going number 2. If these symptoms sound familiar, your [...]
What to sing at Chinese KTV If you have been to China, you know how much Chinese people love KTV. Karaoke offers the perfect atmosphere to spend a fun night with friends, but surprisingly, you might also be asked to join a KTV night by your boss, client, or business partner! For foreigners, [...]
Don't Homophone It In Last week we introduced you to the occasionally frustrating but always fascinating world of Chinese homophones. This week we're back with five more funny, sassy and potentially embarrassing Chinese homophones you definitely need to know! And of course, our helpful suggestions for how to ensure you don't get them mixed [...]
Conquering your Homophone-phobia Let's face it, learning Chinese is a constant lesson in humility. While studying a foreign language is never easy, Chinese sometimes appears to have been specifically designed to trip up hapless foreigners. And when it comes to spoken Chinese, one of the most difficult aspects is undoubtedly homophones, or words that [...]
