Shanghai off the Beaten Track So you've been to the Bund for a mandatory skyline picture and fought the crowds at Yu Gardens and Tianzifang. You strained your neck looking at the skyscrapers in Lujiazui, dutifully marched through five floors of bronzes and ceramics at Shanghai Museum and pretended to understand contemporary art at [...]
Making Every RMB Count If you are currently pursuing higher education in China, then being restricted in spending is probably not new to you. Food, clothing, apartment/dorm, public transport, parties, holidays – these are the things learners spend the most of their money on. Add to this some costs you have to [...]
Ahead of next week's young expat professionals event, we sat down with our panel members to get to know a bit more about what makes them tick, how they ended up in China, and what advice they have for other young expats looking to establish themselves in China. Armando Flores Chiu: Business Development Manager @ [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Making the City Your Classroom When you are moving to a new country to study in, there is a lot to think about. First and foremost, though, is where you want to live. Deciding on a city is the first step on the journey to studying abroad while at university. What Do You [...]
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 [...]
(Chinese) Words with Friends Welcome to the fourth and final week of our Chinese starter kit series. If you've been following along since the beginning, we'd like to congratulate you on your perseverance. You may have given up on your resolutions to drink less and exercise more, but at least you're making progress [...]
