To all those Chinese learners out there, we're here for you, because we know the struggle of studying Chinese. This language can be extremely difficult with the many different tones, characters, and pinyin. Not only are the tones difficult to memorize, knowing how to pronounce them and actually being able to pronounce them is a [...]
Yes, we are a winner! We are very proud to announce that we won our third award in a row from iStudy. After 'Cultural Excellence Award' and 'Academic Excellence Award' we can finally add the 'Service Excellence Award' to the list! We were founded in 2005, with the aim to meet the growing interest in China. We provide [...]
It is that time of the year where every Chinese person seems to be on the move. The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring festival i.e. the Lunar New Year. This year's Chinese New Year will take place between the 4th and 10th of February to prelude the year of 'the pig'. As [...]
“Where’s floor number 4?” Every country has its own superstitions, often closely related to cultural events and holidays. In many western countries, the superstitions stem from folklore, and are not specific to any country. We all know that breaking a mirror gives 7 years of bad luck, or a black cat crossing the [...]
The Nakhi (also spelled Nashi or Naxi) first came to the attention of the Western world in the 1950s with the publication of Russian explorer Peter Goullart's travelogue "The Lost Kingdom". In it, Goullart describes his time living in Lijiang, the traditional cultural center of the Nakhi, during WWII. Of course, the region and [...]
This week, we have a special interview with a former Hutong School student, Delphine. She studied Chinese with us in Shanghai during an Erasmus exchange program and recently participated in the 4L Trophy. 4L is a humanitarian student rally that takes every year in the deserts of Morocco. Participants must drive across a variety of [...]
There's little doubt that Chinese people love eating. While "family-style" meals are perhaps the most traditional way of eating in China, there is also a rich tradition of xiǎochī小吃 or“small eats". These in-between meal bites that can be found on street corners and in night markets. Many of the following items started out as regional [...]
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 [...]
Patience is a Virtue It is said that in the West everything is easy, but nothing is possible. Whereas in China nothing is easy, but everything is possible. Those who have been doing business in or with China understand this maxim well. They also understand that in Chinese society, the personal, professional and political [...]
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 [...]
