1) Progressing from intermediate to advanced Chinese

Very interesting advice on bumping your Chinese level up a notch. As we’ve talked about in the past, a lot of people get to a reasonably fluent level, and don’t bother going any further. This post has some useful advice to get over that hurdle.

2) Chinese dating rules

If you are studying Chinese, there is also a pretty reasonable chance you might end up dating a Chinese person. Obviously there are some huge cultural differences, but hopefully this post can enlighten you a little, and help point you in the right direction. Good luck!

3) Jianfeng’s Blog

This is not a particular post, but a site I quite enjoy. The author (Jianfeng) blogs all about interesting Chinese news and the latest happenings, as well as doing some translations as well. Worth adding to your RSS list.

4) Myths about Chinese youth culture

Interesting post on Forbes China Tracker about some common misconceptions about China and Chinese youth. Kind of gives an insight into media perception of China, although I suspect about from the China Tracker, Forbes is as guilty of this as anyone.

5) A comprehensive guide of Western transliterations in Chinese

Good post on Carls blog with a huge selection of different words that have been borrowed from English. I’d be really interested to see a follow up post that showed loan words in English from Chinese. Tea anyone?

6) Operating illegally in China

Good post on the China Law Blog about laowais working illegally in China. I know lots of people who have been in this situation before, and just won’t listen to advice on the topc. Hopefully reading a lawyers take on it will help!

7) Job seeking keywords (in Chinese)

Dave at ChineseHacks has written a good little post for the jobseekers out there. Might be good to brush up on these ones next time you are looking for employment. It’s always interesting reading his blog to see some differences between Taiwanese Chinese and Mainland Chinese too – for example, I would say 简历 for CV.

8 ) An old man lost his horse

This isn’t quite as strange as it sounds. 塞翁失马 (Sàiwēngshīmǎ) is an interesting Chinese idiom that means a blessing in disguise. Head on over to echinese learning to get a full breakdown of the story behind it.

9) 31 words for idiot (in Chinese)

Another post from Carl on a bunch of different words for idiot in Chinese. Could be useful next time you get an argument, although if you followed those earlier posts about getting and understanding a Chinese partner, hopefully you won’t have these issues… Via SocialMandarin.com

10) When Chinese forget how to write charcters

And a funny one to finish off with. Nice cartoon from MandMX.com on when Chinese people forget how to write characters. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve encountered this situation, but then, I do it myself too! Via SocialMandarin.com

Any other links you’d like to suggest? What have you been reading lately? Be sure to let me know in the comments!

When I was a young lad, I have to admit I didn’t know an awfully large amount about China. It always seemed like this big, mysterious place, a million miles away – in terms of distance, culture, and language.

One of my early exposures to China however was through Chinese Propaganda posters – I remember seeing images of them in National Geographic magazines, and in ‘poster books’ at the local library. Of course, I didn’t understand what they really meant, or what those slogans were about, but those images really captured my imagination – and they are probably one of the reasons I have a strong interest in design these days.

They also piqued my interest in China, and having had a passion for them, I think it’s given me a slight insight into what China might have been like in the past, and how it has evolved over the years – as can be seen in the evolution of the posters.

I recently discovered an awesome site called ChinesePosters.net, and on their site they have a really large collection of awesome poster art available. You should all go check it out. The text and images here are reproduced with their permission.

Today I’d just like to show of a brief evolution of the design of these posters, so you can see how China has developed over the years. It’s quite an interesting view:

Japanese occupation, 1937-1945

Attracted by the cheap labour force and vast resources, Japan invades China in 1937. China must become part of the ‘East Asian Economic Co-Prosperity Sphere’. The bulk of China is controlled by the Nationalist Party (Guomindang), which is especially strong in the urban areas. The Communists entrench themselves in the countryside. Both parties use posters to try and mobilize the population to resist the common enemy, Japan. The Japanese also use posters to justify their military presence and to make it clear to the population that any resistance is useless.

Look! Look! The cruel injustice of the Communist Party | Kan! Kan! Gongchandang zhi canhai

This first poster is from the time of the Japanese invasion of China, and also when the war between the Nationalist and Communists were just going on. I’m pretty sure you can guess which side published this poster. It was published in 1937, and well before the foundation of the ‘New China’.

As you can see, it’s a very interesting use of imagery to play on peoples fears – obviously you can imagine what changes will come in the future.

Building the People’s Republic, 1949-1956

The proclamation of the People’s Republic of China brings an end to decades of (civil) war. The Communist Party rules, the Nationalists flee to Taiwan. Two themes are prominent on the posters of this period: the proclamation of the Republic itself, and the reconstruction of agriculture and industry, bringing abundance and prosperity. The Soviet Union supports China. But there are also problems to be solved, such as dealing with opponents of the Party. The first wave of Mao posters appear, a prelude to his later glorification.

Celebrating China's National Day | Qingzhu Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo Guoqingjie

This poster was published in 1950, to celebrate the first anniversary of the founding of the PRC – I’m sure most of you can recognize Mao Ze Dong (毛泽东) in this image, and the other one is Sun Yat-Sen (孙中山). Actually, I didn’t know Sun Yat-Sen called 孙中山 for a very long time – when I finally put two and two together it made a lot more sense why there are so many parks and such in China with the name 中山!

The life of the peasants is good after Land Reform | Tugai wancheng nongmin shenghuo hao

This poster was published in 1951, around the time when communist land reform was really taking hold, and land holdings from around the country were being widely redistributed. Edgar Snow talks a little about this in ‘Red Star Over China’, a book you should add to your reading list if you are interested in learning more about this period in Chinese history.

The Korean War, 1950-1953

The Korean War starts in 1950. South Korea is supported by the USA, the North by the Soviet Union and China. The Russians mainly provide material support, the Chinese also send in soldiers. Until the armistice in 1953, an estimated one million Chinese die in battle.

Long live the victory of the Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers Army!  Chaoxian renminjun zhongguo renmin zhiyuanjun shengli wansui!

Another one from 1951 as well, obviously quite a different image. This area kind of helps me to understand the relationship between North Korea and China that still exists to this day. Not perfectly understand, but at least I have an idea of where it came from.

Interestingly enough, a good number of Chinese people have confidently told me that America/South Korea started the war, although I understand that China has recently changed its stance on this. It probably helps put the images into context though.

The Great Leap Forward, 1956 – 1960

After the successful economic reconstruction of the early 1950s, the Party leadership headed by Mao Zedong considers the conditions ripe for a Great Leap Forward in early 1958. The Chinese people are to go all out in an effort to surpass England in 15 (or even fewer) years and to make the transition from socialism to communism at the same time. The production of steel is considered of the highest importance. All over the country, small furnaces are built. In the countryside, huge people’s communes are formed. Life there is completely collectivized, including mess halls serving free food. By early 1959, it becomes clear that the campaign is a failure and that a catastrophe is at hand. In the famine of following years, thirty to forty million people die.

The people's communes are good | Renmin gongshe hao

This image was published in 1958, when things were starting to get a little heated. I highly recommend the movie 活着 from Zhang Yi Mou if you are interested in this period of history.

The smokestacks in the rear are likely furnaces for making steal. I guess that was a sign of things to come.

Chairman Mao loves children | Mao zhuxi ai ertong

This imaged was published in 1960, when the issues caused by the great leap forward were coming to a head. The images seem to try and focus on Maos personality cult, rather than anything overtly political. Not sure if ‘loves children’ would be a slogan I’d run with though.

The Cultural Revolution, 1966-1968

The Cultural Revolution is a series of campaigns, initiated by Mao, intended to transform China into a truly revolutionary country. Big-character posters are used to denounce people as opponents of the Revolution. Red Guards (pupils and students who swear loyalty to Mao and his Little Red Book) destroy anything that is branded ‘old’ and eliminate people considered ‘rightists’. The campaigns result effectively in a civil war. The country is in chaos, but the posters only show enthusiasm.

Oppose economism | Fandui jing ji zhu yi

This image was published in 1967, and apparently has to do with the conflict between the left and the right of the party. Obviously we can see which route China has followed, but it’s certainly interesting to imagine that this is what life was like just one or two generations earlier – this is the generation most of my friends parents belong to – and it makes me realise just how much things have changed.

China as Paradise, 1972-1976

The chaos of the civil war is hidden behind the optimistic images of the early 1970s. They create the impression that China is a paradise, where abundance reigns and everyone is happy. Behind the scenes, the struggle for political power continues. But – with a few exceptions – the mass campaigns are over. Cautiously, the first luxury consumer goods are introduced. The first televisions appear on the Chinese market.

After the bumper harvest | Fengshou zhi hou

This poster published in 1974 seems to me a bit of a turning point in the message the posters portray, and I think it points a little towards what China will become in the future.

The construction of the bridge over the Long River at Nanjing is a great victory of Mao Zedong Thought! | Nanjing Changjiang daqiaode jiancheng shi Mao Zedong sixiangde weida shengli!

This poster published in 1975 also seems to point to the development path. Although the references to Mao Zedong thought are still there. Still, I think this points towards where China is heading.

Modernization and New Leaders, 1976-1988

Following the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, and the brief reign of Hua Guofeng, Deng Xiaoping comes to power in 1978. Under Deng, the reform and opening up of the economy starts that has made China the economic power that it is today. No more stress on revolution but on material wellbeing instead. No more politics but the freedom to have fun instead. People try to forget the Cultural Revolution. The struggle against crime and corruption now become important themes. Private entrepreneurs slowly start to become active. The posters fantasize about the great future that lies ahead: space craft, high-speed bullet trains, high-rise buildings and freeways filled with cars. All these fantasies have become reality today.

Selling the fruits of a bumper harvest in a friendly way | Xishou fengshou guo

And in 1978, the corner is turned. To me this is the birth of modern China and the free market.

Pop star | Nü gexing

And here we are in 1987, the corner well and truly turned, and the doors wide open – China is letting in the outside world, and pop stars and pop music come with it.

China opens up, 1989-

China has opened itself completely to the outside world. Politics have largely disappeared from the poster. China’s leaders (Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin) are now seen as ordinary people and even Mao increasingly looks like a movie star. The struggle against SARS and the preparations for the Beijing Olympics 2008 receive a lot of attention. The world is a new place.

Sweethearts | Qinglu

1990, and here we can really see how the world has changed. Western outfits, and even some of the people in the picture look like foreigners to me. In just 40 years, it really is a different world.

Build a prosperous and cultured new socialist countryside | Jianshe fuyu wenmingde shehui zhuyi xin nongcun

And one more to finish off with from 1997 – I find the message of this one a little contradictory – you can see it is the new China, little emperor and all. But still clinging on the bastions of socialism.

I guess that kind of sums up China today, and hopefully it gives you all some idea of why China is like it is now, and how much has changed in such a short period of time.

I know sometimes people can get frustrated with China, or complain about China, but the rate at which it’s evolving is truly amazing. Who knows where it will be in 50 years from now? Anyone want to draw a poster for that?

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this post – if you have any thoughts on it, please leave them below in the comments. Oh, and if I’ve made any silly mistakes be sure to let me know. Thanks a lot for dropping by.

1) Chinese woman tows away a tow truck

This video just makes me smile every time I watch it. The woman and tow truck driver are having a bit of an argument, so she does what any sensible person would do and drives off… There is even a useful guide afterwards to tell you what the two are yelling about too.

2) Pleco Chinese Dictionary Camera Recognizer Demo (Youtube link)

For those of you who don’t know, PlecoDict is by far and away the best Chinese dictionary I have ever used. Mike, the developer, is amazing and always very responsive (just check out the forums), and this latest features just adds to the list. Check out the link, and then get the dictionary – it’s well worth it.

3) Quiz on Multi-Pronunciation Characters (多音字)

A very brief test, but a good reminder on some 多音字 so you think carefully about what you are trying say, and whether you are actually saying it correctly. I got 19/20 – not too upset with that. Via SocialMandarin.com

4) China, Chinese and Twitter – Learning Chinese with Social Media

This is a post of mine for all the twitter fans out there. Twitter is a surprisingly good way to get a daily dose of Chinese language study, and the key is finding some useful people to follow – this list should help get you started with that.

5) 5 Mistakes I Made When I Started Learning Chinese

This is an older post from Neil (the guy who runs SocialMandarin.com) talking about mistakes he made with Chinese learning. It’s actually quite insightful to read these kind of things and learn from others mistakes – definitely worth a look over if you are serious about your study. Via HaoHaoReport.com.

6) Northern vs Southern Vocab

Very interesting post about the differences between northern and southern Chinese. These are obviously just a few general examples, and I know there are huge differences between different locations, but it certainly gets you thinking. Via SocialMandarin.com.

7) 10 Chinese Love Idioms

With 七夕节 just past, it seems like the perfect time to post this – you never know when these might come and handy, and you just might blow somebody’s socks off if you can pull one of these out at the right moment. Worth a try anyway. Be sure to report back if you have any luck.

That’s all for this edition – hopefully something useful in there for you all. Good luck with your studies, and check back again soon.

For a while now I’ve been using twitter as part of my day to day work, but I didn’t quite see the relevance for my personal life, or how it could help me. What I have now discovered though is that it really is a great way to find useful resources, get interesting information, and to help you sort through all the junk that is out there.

Of course, the best way to do this is by following interesting people, and so I’ve gone through and had a good look around to find some sources that I think are really useful for people interested in China and learning Chinese. If there is a good source I’ve left out from this list, please let me know and I’ll update it.

Without further ado – here are some really useful sources for learning more about China and Chinese on Twitter:

@socialmandarin is the official twitter feed of socialmandarin.com – a really useful site for language learners. The twitter feed keeps you in the loop for what’s popular on the site.

@nciku is the official twitter feed of nciku.com – probably the best online dictionary site I’ve found for English<-->Chinese translations. They post a word of the day sort of thing, and other useful info too.

@ChineseHacks is Dave of ChineseHacks.com fame. He posts links to all his blog articles, interesting retweets, and other random information about China/Taiwan. Very interesting.

@HaoHaoReport is a great source of all kinds of articles related to China based on popular stories from their site HaoHaoReport.com. They have a wide array of articles – more for China watchers than learners.

@ChineseADay is a reposting of bilingual sentences from tatoeba.org. It’s a really good feed to follow to get some useful Chinese words into your daily social media diet.

@chinaSMACK are all of the popular posts from chinaSMACK.com. They translate popular articles from the Chinese web into English, and have loads of funny stuff on their site. A good way to see life in China flow by.

@ChineseTeachers post all sorts of new words and sentences on a fairly regular basis. Another useful one to follow just to get a few extra words into your daily diet.

@ChinaTweep posts news and information about China, and it’s happenings. I think it’s written a Chinese person, so a slightly different perspective on things too.

@SinoSplice is a combination of reposts from SinoSplice.com and ramblings from John (the author of that site) – there is a whole combination of stuff, from info for learners to life in China. Great stuff.

@ChinesePod posts a word of the day, and other links – mainly from their site at ChinesePod.com – a very useful site for language learners. Another good one to follow to keep your mind ticking over.

@ciaocibai – OK, it’s actually my twitter feed – I post the occasional interesting article I find, and talk about geeky things and politics with friends. Worth a follow? Yup, according to my highly biased opinion at least.

This is just a selection of useful sources I’ve found on Twitter – I’ve actually created a list over on twitter at http://twitter.com/#/list/ciaocibai/chinese with a few more in it that I plan to regularly update, so be sure to check that out as well.

Are there any great Twitter-ers that I forgot? Who else would you like to see on this list? Be sure to let me know in the comments, and if there are some good ones I’ll definitely update it.

Thanks for dropping by!

1) 16+ Intermediate and Advanced Sentence Structures

A really interesting post from Carl Gene with really useful explanations on connectors in Chinese sentences. This is a really useful thing to learn, and really helps your Chinese seem a lot more polished, as well as helping your listening a lot when you here it in conversation. Check it out. Via SocialMandarin.com

2) Girl Speak – Do You Speak Like A Girl?

Not so much for learning, but a really funny look at talking like a girl. I suffered this problem myself – a previous girlfriend of mine was always adding 哦, 哼 and 讨厌, and I didn’t realise early in my learning that this sounded particularly girly. I know now of course, but my friends still remember. Thanks guys. Via SocialMandarin.com

3) Five Popular Songs For Chinese Weddings

An interesting list of songs, I’m familiar with most of these from KTV, and a couple of them from friends weddings. Worth checking out, and a good way to impress you Chinese friends. Via SocialMandarin.com

4) Clean, Green Technology (Word List)

A fantastic list, in my totally biased opinion. I find it a really useful way for me to learn now that my level is getting a bit higher – this way I can focus on a particular topic/area for a period of time, try and slip it into conversation, and really learn new vocab well. Hopefully useful for others too.

5) China Renews Googles Operating License (Word List)

Not a very long post, but great news for any of us living in China, or just interested in the countries future development. It’s nice the Chinese government has accepted (seemingly, anyway) Googles position and will continue to let Google operate. Some nice keywords thrown in by Dave as well.

6) 汉语水平考试/HSK Test Resources

Another of mine; really useful for those amongst us looking at taking the HSK exam – I’ve uploaded each of the 6 levels of the new HSK exam, and the audio that goes with them. Check it out.

7) 20 Useful Chinese Idioms

Another useful set from Carl Gene – be sure to check this out. I love 成语, and there are a few I haven’t heard in here before, so it’s very good to learn. Well your at it, you might want to try playing the 成语 game with your friends – whatever sound the previous 成语 ends with, you have to start the next one with. For example – 好事多磨 (good things take time) –> 摩肩接踵 (jostle each other in a crowd – i.e. lots of people around). Fun, right?

8 ) Tricks For Learning Chinese (TV Show)

I’d never even heard of Blue Ocean TV, but apparently they are an English language TV network from China, and they even do a mandarin learning TV show, as you can see below. Not quite sure how I feel about it, but it’s nice to have options.

That’s all for this time round – hopefully some useful information to keep you going. Are there any great links I missed? Do you have some suggestions for me? Be sure to let me know in the comments. Thanks for dropping by!

I think this is a really rising area in China, and after the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (thanks BP!), it seems like something more and more people around the world are looking into. So lets learn how to talk about it in Chinese (.pdf version | Google Docs):


 

替代能源

tìdài néngyuán
alternative fuel source

生物柴油

shēngwù cháiyóu
biodiesel

英国石油

yīngguó shíyóu
BP

碳足迹

tàn zú jī
carbon footprint

碳中和

tàn zhōnghé
carbon neutral

碳补偿

tàn bǔcháng
carbon offset

排放交易

páifàng jiāoyì
emissions trading

高效节能

gāo xiào jiénéng
energy efficient

能源

néngyuán
energy source

全球变暖

quánqiúbiànnuǎn
global warming

绿色运算

lǜsè yùnsuàn
green/clean computing

绿色环保技术

lǜsè huán bǎo jìshù
green technology

水力发电

shuǐlì fādiàn
hydro power

氢能源

qīng néngyuán
hydrogen powered

漏油

lòuyóu
oil spill

电源管理

diànyuán guǎnlǐ
power management

可再生能源

kě zài shēng néngyuán
renewable energy

不负社会责任

bù fù shèhuì zérèn
socially irresponsible

负社会责任

fù shèhuì zérèn
socially responsible

太阳能

tàiyángnéng
solar power

太阳能热水系统

tàiyángnéng rè shuǐ xìtǒng
solar water heating

远程工作

yuǎnchéng gōngzuò
telecommute

潮汐能

cháoxì néng
tidal energy

风能

fēng néng
wind power

风力发电机组

fēnglì fādiànjī zǔ
wind turbine

 
Hopefully after all that, next time you want to complain about BP, oil spills and socially irresponsible behaviour you’ll know where to start.

Don’t forget, if you’d like to see some example sentences, you can look Jukuu.com – I really recommend it.

And here’s a lightheated look at BP (on youtube, sorry China viewers) to finish off with:

Is this list interesting to you? Are there any silly mistakes? What other topics would you like to see? Let us know in the comments, and we might be able to sort something out. Oh, and why not read a beginners guide to motivation if you’re looking for some inspiration.

Of course, as with all of these things, finding information about it is a bit harder than I think it should be, but after some searching I’ve found a lot of useful resources to help determine my language abilities, and help me to decide what level of the HSK to focus on. In fact, even if you aren’t interested in the HSK it’s kind of nice to see where your abilities fit into the mix.

Test your character knowledge

OK, so now I know that for level 6 I should know 5000+ characters (I think it’s characters and not words) for the test. How on earth do I know how many characters I can recognise?… Well, it just so happens the fine folks over at Clavis Sinica have created a test applet to do just that: http://www.clavisinica.com/character-test-applet.html.

Now, I don’t think testing your knowledge of single characters is the best way to go about testing your knowledge of the language, but it’s certainly better than nothing, and you get some interesting results. I just took the advanced skill level – 36 character test, and it concluded that I know around 2500 characters – placing me around level 5 on the HSK test, which is about where I think I fit in anyway. Pretty handy.

Practice tests

Of course, it would be nice to be able to take some practice tests too – and after some searching I’ve come across practice tests for each of the six levels, and the audio to go with them for listening practice too – please note you can find the answers at the end of each booklet:

• Level 1 test | Level 1 audio
• Level 2 test | Level 2 audio
• Level 3 test | Level 3 audio
• Level 4 test | Level 4 audio
• Level 5 test | Level 5 audio
• Level 6 test | Level 6 audio

Hanban, the people who administer the HSK have also created some online practice tests to try your skills out on – unfortunately featuring only reading and writing (阅读和书写), but these tests are also pretty useful, and it’s nice to see a real score at the end of it. You can check them out on their website.

The verdict

Hopefully you can find where you fit in to the grand scheme of the HSK, and have a rough idea of where you are at, and where you are headed. I personally find it really nice to have some idea of where my hard work is taking me, and hopefully you all feel the same way too. Learning Chinese is a big challenge, but it really is worth it.

Was the post helpful you? What else would you like to know about the HSK or other Chinese language tests? Do you have any useful tips, tricks or resources to share? Please let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to our RSS feed to get updates as quickly as they come.

Thanks for dropping by!

1) Learning Chinese: Pinyin vs Zhuyin

Really interesting article by Chinese Hacks Dave on the merits of pinyin vs zhuyin. As we learnt in the comments, zhuyin is mainly a Taiwan thing, but to me it seems like a really sensible system for learning Chinese. I always have the experience when watching movies – if there are English subtitles, I’ll spend more time reading them than paying attention to what people are saying, I think this applies to reading and studying as well. We naturally fall back to what is easiest. Check out this post for more discussion. Via socialmandarin.com

2) 10 ways to make fun of someone in Chinese

I think it’s always really important to learn how to understand when people are getting at you, and even better when you can learn how to get back at them – I have a lot of experience in this area. Check this article out for a few ideas on how to make fun of people in Chinese. Via socialmandarin.com

3) Study like you mean it: A collection of helpful resources

Ok, this is a post I wrote, but I think there is quite the collection of helpful resources in there that are worth checking out. You don’t need to take my opinion for it though, head on over and read the post.

4) Chinese terminology: Buying a computer

Another great post by Chinese Hacks Dave, and again brings up the point the there are a lot of differences between Taiwan and Mainland China. Check out his post for the details, and learn how to buy a computer Chinese style. Via socialmandarin.com

5) Politics, Chinese style

Yes, another one from Sinomatter – a pretty comprehensive list of politics related words for all the Chinese learners out there, so you can argue politics in Chinese. Let me know if there any words you’d think are missing though…

6) Red Light Revolution

Link is to YouTube – so sorry to those of you in China (YouTube is still blocked, right?) – check this out if you can, it looks absolutely fantastic, I really can’t wait to see it. Via haohaoreport.com

7) 快乐汉语 – Happy Chinese

This show has actually been around for quite a while, but never in a way that was easy for me to get to it, but the Chinese government in their infinite wisdom has recently launched cntv.cn – essentially a Chinese version of Hulu or BBC iPlayer (except it can be accessed from anywhere). It’s fantastic, and has a great selection of shows especially for learning Chinese. 快乐汉语 is fantastic, although I always find it funny when in the middle of really complex conversations the break into their learning segment with passages like 您好 and 这是什么？- because we’ve never learnt those tricky words out of the rest of this shows dialogue… Anyway, you definitely want to check this out! The show below is from Tudou since cntv.cn doesn’t allow embedding – they have a much more complete, higher quality collection though.

Well, that’s all for this round – are there any great links I missed? Any sites or stories the deserve to be here? Let me know, and I’ll be sure to include it next time round!

Of course, watching movies can be pretty hit and miss, and with such a huge range out there, and especially if you don’t have the same taste as your Chinese friends, or people to recommend movies to you, it’s hard to find movies that really suit your taste. Certainly, I’ve spent a long time searching for good content to help me in my learning process

Now that I’ve been learning for a while, and spent a reasonable amount of time watching all this content, I figured why not share my thoughts on some of the movies I’ve watched, what they were like, and if they are any good from a Chinese learning perspective

And so, for my first movie review:

Future X-Cops – 未来警察 (wèi lái jĭng chá)

Video via Tudou; 国语中字 – Mandarin Language, Chinese Subs

Plot:

This movie is set in the year 2080, and a great inventor has developed time travel, along with a lot of other inventions to help mankind. Some crazy cyborgs hear about his inventions, and break in and steal the plans with the intention of heading back in time and killing the inventor. The cops are aware of this and decide to send someone back in time themselves to protect the inventor. Cue the action

How I felt about it:

This movie has a pretty well known line up (Andy Lau, Fan Bing Bing et al), and so I figured it would probably be half decent. Unfortunately the story line is pretty weak, and sometimes the plot seems to go off in strange directions for absolutely no reason. Quite a few times in the movie I felt pretty confused as the story seemed to get quite disjointed, and it was a bit tricky trying to figure out what was going on with some of the relationships. The end was kind of dissapointing too – I don’t really feel like the movie really resolved anything by the end of it. Oh well.

From a learning perspective:

The dialogue is really accessible, and although they use a few relatively technical crime related and technology related words, most of it is really easy to follow. There is a lot of really simple dialogue between all the different parties, and so it’s a pretty reasonable film for practising your Chinese.

My ratings:

Storyline: 4/10
Language difficulty: 3/10 (i.e. relatively easy)
Accessibility: 8/10 (i.e. how much can I understand even if my Chinese isn’t great?)

Final thought:

Pretty simple movie to get into, and easy enough to follow even if your Chinese level isn’t that high (hey, I could do it), not the best storyline, but again, easy enough to follow and have a good idea of what’s going on. In between concentrating on the dialogue, the movie is passable as a learning resource, but probably not what you are looking for if you want a deep and meaningful movie. Recommended? If you want a movie you don’t need to concentrate on, otherwise, not so much.

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