The BLCU Blog

Free BLCU Applications For 2015 Programmes With CUCAS

2014-09-02T03:32:00.000+01:00

When applying to study at the Beijing Language and Culture University, it's important to choose a reputable agency to handle your application. There are scams out there, so you need to be careful.

That's why we recommend CUCAS, who have offered free applications for BLCU students since 2014.

A break down of specific courses and dates will be coming soon. To find out more and head on over to their page, click here.

6 Reasons Why You Will Never Forget BLCU

2014-08-08T13:51:00.001+01:00

This is a guest post by Prachi Preaches on her top 6 reasons why you will never forget the Beijing Language and Culture University. Photo by Instagram user mamorukun.

1. Wudaokuo

OF COURSE! Right? Having lived in other parts of China and Beijing itself, I can safety pronounce my favourite place in China -- Wudaokuo <3 Can I ever forget Wu Club, Propaganda, Sensation, La Bamba, Helen's.... (the list goes on) The most perfect place to grow as a Chinese student, with people from all around the world, multiple international restaurants, Wudaokuo is only getting better.

2. Mandarin

Most people come to BLCU with the serious intent to study Mandarin, others to explore the forward culture. There are many reasons one should learn mandarin (Read: Chinese is easy! 3 reasons you should learn mandarin) but honestly, the best parts are being able to converse with the taxi drivers, ordering your food in restaurants and talking to strangers at nightclubs. Noone seems to appreciate these moments where we are able to, so easily, fit into their world and visa versa.

3. Pyro pizza

Hello tastiest-pizza-in-the-world! Enough said. (Read: The next best 7 wonders of Beijing)

4. Golden Towers

You may have heard of YaShao, The Place and even Silk street (Read: Say Hello to Shopping in Beijing) but not so much of Golden Towers located about 20 minutes walking distance from BLCU. Not only does this place have designated floors to clothes, accessories, shoes and electronics, but the manicures here are the cheapest I've ever come across (10 RMB in 2013). Golden Towers is as good as hidden treasure and a boon for students who don't have a lot to spend but love shopping!

5. Exploring Beijing

Is it even possible to explore the whole of Beijing? This magnificent city has literally hundreds of things for you to see and eat! You could make a short trip to Mongolia, Harbin, Datong, Shanghai and even Hong Kong!

6. Re-inventing yourself

A more non-materialistic reason, coming to BLCU, makes you open up in more ways than one. Meeting new people and seeing new places gives you the opportunity to evolve, while also giving you time to be by yourself, giving you ample time for introspection and reinvention. So, why not come to BLCU? If you have any more reasons, feel free to comment!

One last thing...

Access blocked websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and more from BLCU and China with PureVPN!

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Beijing Language And Culture University Q&A (2014): Gloria Xu

2014-06-13T08:07:00.003+01:00

In this BLCU Q&A (2014), we speak with local Chinese student Gloria Xu who was deeply involved in the university's Student Senate. Be sure to also check out our previous question and answer sessions with BLCU students for more insights into life at the university.

Please tell us your personal background (age, first language, nationality, previous education, etc.) and how you ended up studying at BLCU.

I'm 24 now (turning 25 this August, but let's leave it as 24). I was born and raised in China. My first languages are Wu dialect (if you've never heard of it, Shanghainese is a branch of Wu), and Mandarin.

Language learning has always been my biggest inspiration and BLCU is among the best institutions in the country in teaching foreign languages to Chinese students. The large population of international students and the diverse community has also attracted me. I don't know if you know of the higher education system in China or not, I guess I'll explain a little here.

In China, there are two types of colleges and universities, state funded (public) and privately funded. Unlike a lot of western countries, in China, state funded schools are much better than private schools. Public school are divided into three tiers. BLCU is among the tier-one universities. Every year high school seniors need to attend the once-a-year national college entrance exam, the score of which would be the only criteria universities base their admission on.

Depending on the policies of the province where one attends the exam, a student has the opportunity to choose 1-3 schools from tier one schools, 1-3 from tier two and 1-3 from tier three. And if one's score meets the first tier one university he/she chose, he/she gets in (I don't think there is an opportunity for one to reject an offer because basically the schools you put on the top of your list are the schools you want to go the most. Plus I think in some province, if you reject, you fall to tier two or tier three. Anyway it's very inflexible and different).

However, even if one gets in, if his/her score is lower than the admission score of the major he/she chose at that university, he/she would be reassigned to another major, and this is usually not optional either. Pfff, that's quite a long introduction, isn't it?

Anyway, I really wanted to study Spanish and Spanish Literature at BLCU. But my college entrance exam score was only high enough to get me admitted into the university. I was reassigned to study Computer Science. That's how I ended up there.

You mention having been in the BLCU student senate for three years (also as vice president). Could you explain to our readers what this is and what your role was, and how they could get involved if they were interested? What was your role as Chief Director of the International Student Communication Centre?

I'm putting these two together because the International Student Communication Centre is one committee of the Student Senate. In BLCU, we have a senate for the whole school, and within the school, in different academic departments, they have their own senate as well. The Student Senate is composed of eight (I think? If they haven't changed it much) departments, administered by mainly Chinese students.

Unfortunately, I don't think there is an international student senate. However, I know one of the vice presidents last year (or the year before) was from Russia (the first ever!). So maybe now they are trying to get more international students involved in the administration as well.

During my “term of office”, the main mission was to engage international students in campus life and in communications and interactions with Chinese students. As you may have noticed, although BLCU claims to be "an international institution" and has a rather diverse community, the interactions between Chinese language learners and Chinese students are not always so good, the main reason being that we go to different buildings for class, we belong to different academic departments, and we are managed by different administration offices.

So we really sought to organize a lot of events that could intrigue both groups and foster a fun and productive environment conducive to better intercultural communications. This was mainly what I did when I was in the International Student Communication Centre.

This committee, together with the other departments under the Student Senate, started, plans and holds the annual BLCU Culture Extravaganza (Or World Carnial/World Culture Festival as it was initially called), during which we would usually invite students from over 50 countries and their embassies and/or culture centers/galleries/language institutes to put up a big exhibit where you can find exotic arts and ethnic foods, dance and play with all BLCU students.

This event started in 2009, and it's getting bigger. The closing ceremony is usually a singing competition (Sing-A-Holic) that's open to international students as well! The Student Senate also holds cultural exchange tea talks and other activities. We also get a lot of invites to events held by other schools and Beijing Municipal Government.

So if someone wants to find language exchange partners, participate in these events, get volunteer/social opportunities, all they have to do is to pay attention to the posters along the main walk in BLCU for events update, and contact the number/email that's on the posters. The International Student Communication Center's email is blcuiscc2013@163.com. They may change it in the upcoming semester though.

Why would you recommend BLCU as a university and language institution?

I really love the diverse culture of BLCU. Where else would you find such an amazing institution in China where there are so many cultures in one place? In which other university can you find such legit cafes and restaurants on campus? The experience at BLCU has been a turning point for me. It opened my eyes and brought me new perspectives on life.

But really, to everyone who is reading this post, both Chinese students and international students, if you want to make the most of your BLCU experience, come out of your own culture group, step out of your comfort zone, and blend in, because to learn a language well, you really need to hang out with the natives, and be connected to the culture.

One last thing...

Access blocked websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and more from BLCU and China with PureVPN!

Beijing Language And Culture University Q&A (2014): Abu Abukar

2014-05-01T00:02:00.002+01:00

In this BLCU Q&A, we talk with Abu Abukar, who studied Chinese at the Beijing Language And Culture University for two weeks.

Remember to check out all our BLCU Q&As here. Lots of thanks to Abu for taking part, and contributing his experiences to the blog for the benefit of past and future students!

Tell me about your two weeks intense Mandarin course at BLCU, and how useful you found it?

The classes would normally begin from 9am and finish by 12:30pm. The beginning was difficult because pronunciation is the key and constant review is a must. It was a unique experience because I never imagined living, studying or travelling in China and I am considering working in China.

The teaching environment, location and my teachers were excellent, very friendly and every word learnt contributed to my growth in Mandarin. Just thinking back and remembering Beijing at night feels surreal.

How easy did you find the process of getting everything organised to go (accommodation, course, etc.)?

The whole process of accommodation and registration at BLCU was organised by Huawei. However, I had to provide details of my current occupation as a student studying Management with Information Systems at RHUL. I actually lived in the Haidian District, a hotel called the Geoscience International Conference Centre for the full two weeks study at BLCU.

I understand you did a three week internship at Huawei. How did that come about and did you enjoy working in Beijing?

I first heard about the internship from my tutor. He explained how rare and beneficial this opportunity was. I then applied as I found the idea of going abroad for an internship intriguing. Huawei collaborated with several universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Southampton and Royal Holloway, University of London. Personally, I was interviewed by Dr. Fitzgerald, a lecturer in International Business on campus. My final real interview took place at Huawei’s Westminster base.

The work schedule took place in Shenzhen, whereas Beijing was all about learning the language first. It was a pleasure to socialise and bond with the Huawei team; I genuinely found them to be very friendly, approachable and creative individuals.

A lot of our readers may be interested to work in China after BLCU. How did you find the experience of working at a Chinese company compared to, say, a company back in the UK?

Team work, firm determination and high aspiration play a key role within Chinese corporations, whereas in the UK companies are focused on individualism, past experiences and the skills of the individual. Team work is important but there is so much emphasis in China. Nevertheless, this differs from person to person as well as their circumstances.

Chinese culture respects hierarchy structure so everyone knows their role and is extremely dedicated to their role. However, you have the opportunity to move and train to other positions that may interest you. Moreover, back home there is more opportunity and choices to enter freely into any faculty or further studies allowing flexibility.

What were your favourite aspects of studying at BLCU, and perhaps some aspects that you didn’t like so much?

The combination of studies in the morning and practising Tai Chi, Kung Fu, Chinese calligraphy, paintings and the arts in the afternoon was a great opportunity to understand the Chinese culture and traditions. I also liked the fact that the university was based in a very busy district. This helps to travel easily on the local trains or eat and shop in the Haidian District. It was a delightful experience throughout my studies at BLCU.

My advice to students planning to study at BLCU is to have some basic understanding or few simple words of Mandarin in order to better the experience, to order and shop without any hassle as well as to befriend other students on campus.

Will you be going back to China (if so, where) for travel/study/work?

It will be a pleasure to visit China again or Hong Kong at some point. It is definitely a place worth visiting once in a lifetime. I would love to travel for all purposes, whether it be tourism, study or work.

Where were your favourite places on and around the BLCU campus (food, bars, restaurants, cafes, shops, etc.)?

My first day at BLCU, I ate at the local Chinese canteen on campus with other students from Britain and France. However, on a daily basis we ate at the Muslim Restaurant which was a great opportunity to network and meet other students.

The local shop on campus helps to stock up on basic food, water, equipment as well as eating ice-cream considering I was there in early August when the weather was 40 degrees. Good times indeed.

The Haidian District is based in a good location, not too far away from places that students and tourists can visit such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, local restaurants or going swimming nearby the Geoscience International Conference Centre. However, bargaining when buying items seemed to be a good experience, and seeing the zeal of hard workers in China made me appreciate living there.

One last thing...

Access blocked websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and more from BLCU and China with PureVPN!

Beijing Language And Culture University Q&A (2014): Jay Gonzalez

2014-04-17T18:47:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone and thanks for tuning in to this latest question and answer session about the Beijing Language and Culture University! This time we sit down and chat with former BLCU student from 10 years ago, Jay Gonzalez, who has very kindly agreed to answer all our questions for the benefit of the blog's readers.

Jay first got in touch with us through our official Facebook page (be sure to join the 2,000+ member community there if you haven't already), where he said: "I took a 6 months, 20hr/week course in BLCU almost 10 years ago. Went when I was 18 years old. It is amazing how all the pictures you have posted bring back so many fond memories of this place. Thanks for putting up a page that so many will visit before and after their time there."

In a further message to us on Facebook, Jay added: "I studied in BLCU just under 10 years ago. 2004-2005. I first did a 6 week course in 2004 but bailed out. I then decided to do the 6 month course from Feb - July of 2005. Going back the second time around was probably one of the best decisions I've ever done in my life. Met great people, friends who I still see to this day.

"BLCU now seems like a modern university (I'm just guessing here, haven't been back since). During my time, the cafeterias looked like a wet market. Dirty white floors, the smell of food with high MSG [a flavour-enhancing food additive], and chefs smoking while cooking the food. But that was the best part. The rural feel to it. That made it a whole different experience."

You can read the entire interview with Jay Gonzalez below. It's full of memories of BLCU, and will be of interest to student new and old. You can also find all our previous Q&A sessions here, so be sure to check them all out in your own time!

Can you describe to our readers what the BLCU of 10 years ago was like, and what memories of the place stay with you even today?

BLCU 10 years ago was actually very countryside-esque. I'm not quite sure how else to describe it since I haven't been back since. But simply put, imagine an old Chinese movie where people would be playing table tennis in their dorms, the internet wasn't exactly part of your everyday life, and having internet on your phone was unheard of. Bikes were the main mode of transportation, and walking wasn't exactly the safest thing to do during winter time.

Related post: The Beijing Language and Culture University of 10 Years Ago

The normal day I would have over there would be to wake up in the morning, freshen up, go to McDonalds for breakfast, and walk from Huaqing Jiayuan [apartment complex] to the campus. That walk would pretty much tell you everything there is to know. From the minute you step out of your door, to the time you get to campus, you'd feel like you are in an adventure movie where anything could happen. To give an example, winter was cold. And with the cold came snow. I'd be walking to school with a few of my friends and I'd make sure to look at wherever I am stepping on. Why? Because at some point you will realise that not all man-holes have their covers on.

As for the campus, lunch was always in either the Muslim restaurant or the 2nd floor cafeteria. The Muslim restaurant was awesome. Cheap good food. The cafeteria was even better. Cheaper food, dirty surroundings, noisy environment, not everyone cleaned after their own mess, and it literally looked like a wet market. You order your food and you would see the chef sweating and smoking while preparing your Gongbao Jiding. I'm honestly not being sarcastic by telling you it wasn't the best of things, simply because that it was part of the whole "BLCU" experience. Being an 18 year old, first time away from home, it was the best feeling in the world. Lunch would cost 1/3 of what it would normally cost in Hong Kong. And needless to say, the food, with all the MSG in the world, tasted AMAZING.

Related post: The Muslim Restaurant At The Beijing Language and Culture University

Classes were quite chill. From 08:30-12:30 you would have classes. People were smoking in the hallways. You would literally speak at least four languages before you get from the entrance to the last classroom on the ground floor. I usually said "anyang" for my Korean friends, Guten Morgen for my German friends, 早上好 [zao shang hao] for my Chinese friends, and morning for my English/American friends. I guess that counts as four right? Haha. It was amazingly diversified. I realised then that I wasn't exactly paying for the Chinese lessons in BLCU. I was paying for the "BLCU" experience. Diversity, pollution, good food, good people -- all united by language, beer, and coffee.

You say you decided to back to BLCU after initially bailing. Why, in your own words, was that one of the best decisions of your life?

I bailed because I didn't want to leave home. I was afraid. Most of the BLCU students who took up Chinese are usually done with their undergraduate degree. I just turned 18. I just finished high school. But that was it. The reason why it was one of the best decisions of my life was because I just finished high school. I didn't have to worry about student loans. I didn't have to worry about getting a job after I'm done with my Chinese studies. I had Hong Kong University waiting for me back in Hong Kong. I had everything planned out and set. Basically, that once in a lifetime opportunity was handcrafted for a person like me.

I learned Chinese like most beginners do. I partied, like most students did. I went out until the wee hours of the morning like normal human beings do. But the best part was, I had not a single worry on me. And that, I believe, allowed me to enjoy the Beijing experience more. We all have the same experiences as students and alumni of BLCU. After getting the certificate, we boost our qualifications. We are able to pride ourselves in accomplishing what only less than 1% of our countrymen could. We immersed ourselves in the culture and the language.

Related post: 10 Reasons To Study Chinese At The Beijing Language and Culture University

That was the whole point of taking a year off school, or work. To be immersed in "Beijing". But what I had and most of my friends didn't have, was true liberty to do so. While some of my friends worried about what to do by the end of June, I was touring the place, going to the Great Wall multiple times, going for breakfast in McD, lunch in Lush, and dinner in Propaganda. (Yes I do realise they wouldn't serve me dinner but I was thinking more of 5RMB tequila shots.) I was biking my way to Carrefour, walking to the computer centre beside it, then dropping by Friendship Hotel to see my friends who came from HK to visit.

Related posts: 6 Clubs And Bars Near The Beijing Language and Culture University

It was the best of both worlds really. I had the western upbringing and the Asian immersion. I was Asian by day, western by night. More importantly, however, was the fact that it gave me a true idea of what being an international means in this world we live in. There are 1.3-1.4 billion people in China. Mandarin Chinese is their primary language. Learning Chinese in a country that only speaks Chinese, living, breathing, and eating Chinese every single day not only helped me in my career and my studies, but in my focus and outlook in life.

I currently work in Hong Kong and deal with Mainland China on a daily basis. I use my Chinese to soften up the conversation. I use the culture I learned in China when dealing with my clients face to face. Because I understand the language, I also understood their culture. And because I didn't have a single worry when I was there, I absorbed more than most of my friends did, and that turned out to be priceless.

Why do you think it is that the possibility for making strong, lasting friendships at BLCU is so strong — often even stronger than in our own countries?

That is very true, but only to a certain extent. Majority of my friends in BLCU were either from Hong Kong, or the Philippines. I didn't have that many local friends. But for the friends that I did have, the relationships we built last until this very day.

The reason is simple. Imagine being alone in a country you have never been to before. In a country where English isn't exactly the main medium of instruction. If there are people from your home country, it wouldn't be more than a handful. Now, you have a choice of being alone and afraid the entire time you are there, or you can go find people that do speak English. And when you do find those people, you stick to them like glue. Because if you don't, you are alone again.

Related post: Learn Chinese From The Locals At The Beijing Language and Culture University

These "new friends" help you out in everything you need. There is a slight chance that one of them has a more advanced understanding of Chinese, so that person becomes the group's go to person. You help each other out in assignments, in lessons, and pretty much spend the entire day together. Remember, you don't have anyone else to speak to except these guys. The rest of the world doesn't understand a single word you say.

Then you start learning more and more Chinese. Your group of friends decide to venture out and have a drink, have a nice meal in a posh place. So not only do you develop a classmate type friendship, but you then get to know these guys personally as well. You have a beer or two with them, get to know their stories.

Combine all the external factors and situations, cram that into a 6-month period, and there you have it. A friendship that would last a lifetime. I'm not sure if most would answer this question the way I did, but I can tell you from experience, the people I met on my first three weeks there are one of the best friends I've ever had. I may not see them all the time, but when we do meet up for a drink, it becomes epic.

What do you remember of Wudaokou and the surrounding area at that time?

I will keep this answer short. I don't remember much. It was a ghost town in the morning, and a traffic infested place in the afternoon and evening. Not of cars or busses, but of bikes and people.

I'd frequent the Wudaokou shopping building. It was literally a market back then. I'm not sure how it is now but back then, it felt like a flea market. Bargains everywhere, cheap everything. Toilets were squat toilets, no doors, and people smoked everywhere. The beauty of it? Everything was cheap cheap cheap. I don't think the locals knew how to really exploit that fact that there were so many foreigners there at that time. Or maybe they did, I just didn't realise it.

I went to Huaqing a lot. I eventually stayed there. Originally I was supposed to stay in the dorms. I stayed there for about a month. But I got sick and tired of it. You can't take the key out so if your roommate takes the key, you are locked out for the entire night. And it was just a pain living with someone who didn't really have the same interests as you.

Related post: 5 Advantages Of Living Off-Campus At The Beijing Language and Culture University

There was this pizza place in Huaqing. 25RMB all you can eat pizza, beer, etc. It was epic. Then you had the usual stores around. But I'm sure it doesn't compare to what it is now. I tell you, BLCU and Wudaokou during the winter semester was pretty much a ghost town. Now that I think about it, most of my time was either spent in my place, the classroom, the bars, Sammy's, or Wangfu.

What were some of your favourite places around campus (cafes, restaurants, bars, shops, etc.)?

I'm not sure if it is still there but the place was called Sammy's cafe. It was close to the basketball courts and the Muslim restaurant. I may be mistaken with the places though. But it was called Sammy's. I would spend my hours after class there. Up until around 8 or 9 pm. I would either be studying, or hanging out with friends in the back rooms playing some sort of card game. If I wasn't at home, most of my friends could find me there. There wasn't any phone reception in the back rooms either so if my friends tried to reach me and I couldn't be reached, they knew where to find me.

Related post: 5 Restaurants Near The Beijing Language and Culture University You Might Not Know About

Why would you encourage someone who is unsure to take the leap and go to Beijing to study at BLCU?

Studying in BLCU teaches you a lot of things in life, and I'm sure most of the alumni would agree. You are leaving the comfort of your own home and immersing yourself in this place called Beijing. BLCU is an added bonus because they are an amazing and reputable institution that produces great Chinese speakers, and more importantly, produces better individuals. The student life as I remember it back then was probably the most exciting thing I've experienced.

The school has complete amenities, admits students from all corners of the globe, and instills in students an open minded approach to learning both the language and the culture. You aren't going to a place to read the book. You are going to a place to experience what has been written on the book. What I am trying to say is, would you rather read a book that talks about Beijing and the language and the culture, or would you rather experience it first hand, and maybe write a book about it someday?

Related post: An Introduction To Life At The Beijing Language and Culture University

How much did your Chinese improve during your six month course?

From zero knowledge to being able to converse with strangers about a normal day. I'm not exaggerating this either. If you went to BLCU, and lived there for at least 6 months, you had to learn Chinese. Carrying a dictionary around just won't cut it. Everything you did required that you say a few words in Chinese. Everything. Eating, drinking, going to the bank, going to a place in the city, buying something, haggling with the stores, even ordering your coffee. BLCU and the campus made it a point that their staff and employees don't speak that much English. And that in itself serves as the main reason as to why I became conversational. I could read the characters too, and type in pinyin.

Related post: 7 Chinese Study Tips For Success At The Beijing Language and Culture University

Of course, you need to practice the writing and calligraphy if you wanted to keep it. I haven't taken a single Chinese class since I left BLCU, but I still use Chinese in my everyday work. My colleagues would be amazed as to why I would understand their conversations, or understand their emails. It comes to a point where they become frustrated because I'm supposed to be this 外国人 who says 我听不懂，我不会说，我不知道。如果我听不懂，不会说，也不会读，应该有一个很大的问题。I'm sure my grammar is a little bit off but because I can read and understand, I have no problems with my workplace.

Would you like to go back to BLCU some time in the future? What would you do on that trip, and what would it mean to you to be able to revisit a place that gave you so many great memories?

I would love to go back to BLCU some time in the near future. First thing I will do is go to the cafeteria and get myself a true Gongbao Jiding. The one with lots of MSG and salt. Then, I would walk through the basketball court. I played a lot of ball with a lot of people back then. And it was fun.

The reason why BLCU was such an amazing experience for me was because of the people I met while I was there. BLCU became home because of those groups of people. They say home is where the heart is. Home was BLCU for six months because my heart was with the people I met. Truth be told, BLCU was great. The school, the staff, the employees, the facilities. Everything was great. But what made that experience the best thing I've ever done was the people I met. Without them, I don't think I would have enjoyed BLCU as much as I did.

To all those thinking of going to BLCU, I say do it. You never know who you would meet there. The place is great, food is amazing. But more specifically, the people you will meet there will have such a huge impact on your life moving forward. I was an 18 year old kid who didn't have any experience with living alone or leaving home. But because of the people I met, it became a story I will pass down to my grandchildren. It shaped who I am and what I will be. The place and the experience helped me and continue to help me to this very day.

And it isn't just about learning the language. It is about the whole experience. The place taught me how to cook, how to do my laundry, how to live away from the comforts of life, and how to make the best of every situation. It taught me how to grow up. It's one thing to go away for college because you are still within your comfort zone. But to go halfway around the world, now that is an adventure you wouldn't want to miss.

One last thing...

Access blocked websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and more from BLCU and China with PureVPN!

News: World's First Online Chinese Teacher Training Programme Launched By The Beijing Language And Culture University

2014-04-17T01:54:00.003+01:00

Earlier this month, on April 8, the Beijing Language and Culture University announced a new initiative with Academic Partnerships (AP) to "launch of the world's first online International Chinese Teacher Training Program (ICTP)," according to a report by PRNewswire. A new website, BLCUOnline.net, has been set up to promote the programme. At the time of writing, applications are still being accepted.

In an official statement, BLCU President Cui Xiliang said: "BLCU is an international university where students from all over the world study together and diverse cultures exchange with one another."

BLCU's Online Education College Dean Li Wei also added: "The online ICTP, which will now allow BLCU to serve students near and far, is a reflection of the University's commitment to being a truly international institution and promoting collaborations across cultures and borders."

The report has more:

The fully online program, which can be completed in as few as 10 months, will prepare individuals to teach Chinese as a foreign language in their countries. With a focus on the history of Chinese language development; teaching theory and methodology; testing and evaluation; characteristics of the Chinese capability system and methods for speaking, writing, listening, and reading; classroom organisation and management; and application of modern education technologies in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, the program will provide students with the comprehensive teaching expertise necessary to advance in their careers.

The new online Chinese teacher training program has been written and will be taught by BLCU's faculty, which includes some of the most well-known and respected experts in the field of Chinese language teaching.

The process of constructing the program in a high-quality online format will be the topic of a presentation at The Sloan Consortium's Seventh Annual Emerging Technologies for Online Learning International Symposium taking place this week in Dallas.

Whitney Kilgore, AP's vice president of academic services, international, will share how AP worked with BLCU stakeholders to structure the ICTP program to create an offering that would scale globally. The session will focus on the challenges and successes in the process and explore strategies employed in the process of collaborating with Chinese universities.

Kilgore said, "Significant cultural and educational differences and 7,000 miles did not stand in the way of our team assisting BLCU in modernizing their program and transforming it into a high-quality online offering using Canvas in the Cloud. We learned a great deal in the process and look forward to sharing our findings at the symposium."

BLCU's new online International Chinese Teacher Training Program will begin in May 2014. Click here to apply or learn more.

What do you make of this latest piece of BLCU gossip? Is the university making a good move? Let us know in the comments.

One last thing...

Access blocked websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and more from BLCU and China with PureVPN!

Transport Guide To The Beijing Language And Culture University

2014-04-14T15:34:00.001+01:00

Subway

Public transport around the Beijing Language and Culture University is convenient. The university itself is located on College Road and is close to the Beijing North Fourth Ring Road. College Road connects to subway Line 13 at Wudaokou Station. From this subway stop you can get to every corner of the city (with a few changes). After taxis, this is almost certainly the most convenient way to get around Beijing.

Buses

The nearest bus station is called Beijing Language and Culture University Station (formerly known as Language College Station). Bus routes that come through the stop include 307, 331, 375, 630, 656, 690, 743, 957. There are also a handful of other stops in the general area that you can explore for yourself, but this is the main one used by most students.

Related post: How To Get A Beijing Transport Card

From here you can easily get to places such as Xi Zhi Men, Xin Jie Kou, Qian Men, Zhong Guan Cun (the nearby electronics district), Summer Palace, Fragrant Hills, the Botanical Gardens, the Asian Games Village, and many other great areas in Beijing.

Taxis

Foreigners are generally reminded to stay safe and only use official taxis. This means avoiding black unmarked private cabs whenever possible (you will also pay more for them). Taxi rates are around 10 yuan for the first 3km and then 2 yuan per km thereafter (if I have my information correct). Always take taxis that use meters, and get out of any that want to drive you for a price off-meter.

Bicycles

If you are going to travel by bicycle, be very careful! Beijing is renowned for its terrible traffic, and if you are not as efficient as the locals at dodging oncoming vehicles, you need to keep your wits about you at all times. Also remember that lots of students at BLCU have their bicycles stolen, so keep them locked and in safe places. If you don't believe me, just ask any former or current BLCU student!

Related post: The Ultimate Guide to Bicycles At The Beijing Language and Culture University

Beijing International Airport

A taxi ride to the Beijing International Airport via the North Fourth Ring Road will cost about 100 yuan (plus toll charges). You can also take a bus or subway to the airport, but from my experiences both of these other options are such a hassle and so slow that it's not worth the money you save. Just pay for a quick, safe and convenient cab! You also don't need to lug all your baggage around on public transport that way (which is a real pain the ass!).

One last thing...

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Happiness Supermarket: A Canteen Food Alternative At The Beijing Language and Culture University

2014-04-10T15:41:00.001+01:00

This is a guest post by Ran Etya, fourth (and last!) year student studying Chinese at the Beijing Language and Culture University and the blogger behind FOODragon.

Okay, I am going to just say it -- I am not a big fan of the cafeteria in BLCU. To be fair, I tried it only a couple of times and it was alright. I mean, it was crowded and noisy but the food was totally decent. I just don’t see the need to go there when you got such great restaurants in and around the campus.

Most people go the shitang (canteen) for three reasons -- it’s convenient, cheap and fast. Well, today I would like to suggest a nice alternative which also meets these three criteria – the food court of Happiness Supermarket.

Happiness Supermarket (幸福超市 – xìng fú chāo shì) is just a couple of minutes walk from the east gate of BLCU. On top of being one of the cheapest supermarkets in Wudaokou, it also has a nice little food court. This means you can combine your grocery shopping with grabbing a quick yet tasty lunch, dinner or even just a midday snack.

The food court offer pretty much any type of Chinese food. You got your rice, noodles, dumplings, jiachangcai and more. Here are a couple of photos for some visual tasting of what I like to get there.

My absolute favorite there is the shuijiao (水饺 -- boiled dumplings). For 12 kuai you get four portions (20 dumplings which is the minimal order) and it doesn’t matter which filling you pick. In fact you can even mix half and half. Fillings are either pork or egg with veggies.

I usually get half and half, ten pork and carrot and ten of egg and zucchini. They also make a great dabao. Another one of my favorites is fried rice, especially when I am in a hurry, because it’s ready within 2 minutes (if there’s no line).

It’s a big portion served in a boat-shaped bowl. It costs 10 yuan and you also get egg and seaweed soup and spicy cabbage salad on the side. I usually get the beef and green peppers (尖椒牛肉) or the larou (cured meat) with garlic scapes. If you’re really in a hurry and can’t wait for something to be made I suggest going back to the basics -- Chinese dishes with a bowl of rice.

The dishes are already made and they come in single servings. In the photos you can see stir-fried eggplants, Chinese cabbage and mushroom stir-fry, scrambled eggs with tomatoes and rice all for 13 yuan. For the rapidly approaching hot summer days I recommend the very cool liangpi noodles (凉皮).

Liangpi is rice or flour noodles which are served cold with shredded cucumber and a secret sauce. It’s very refreshing and just a bit spicy. The price is 7 yuan. Finally, if it’s a snack you looking for, how about roujiamo (肉夹馍) – a small round sandwich with pork, peppers and onion?

This tasty treat costs 5 kuai and it makes an excellent snack between meals. These were my top five but obviously there’s a lot more. There’s also noodles (soup and fried), malantang (麻辣烫) and its distant stir-fried cousin mala xiangguo (麻辣香锅), jianbing and even tanghulu in the winter.

How to get there

It’s very easy to find Happiness Market. Exit BLCU from the east gate and turn left and walk northwards for a couple of minutes. After you pass the Suning Building you’ll see this gate to your left. Enter through the door on the side, go down the escalator and you’re there (see photos below).

Be sure to check out Ran's Chinese food blog FOODragon right now if you enjoyed this post!

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6 Clubs And Bars Near The Beijing Language and Culture University

2014-04-09T11:58:00.000+01:00

Studying in China and learning Chinese can sometimes be stressful and demanding. As a student, it’s often good to get a break from books to have some fun. Most students prefer creating time especially during the weekend to unwind and get in touch with their social sides. The vibrant nightlife around Beijing Language and Culture University is what makes it a darling with many students.

Wudaokou is the paradise of universities in Beijing since most universities are situated there. It has a number of social places mostly frequented by college students; foreign and local. Some of the most popular clubs found here include; Propaganda and Lush.

Propaganda

Situated at the very heart of Wudaokou in the East Gate of Huaqing Jiayuan, Haidian District, Propaganda is one of the hottest night clubs around BLCU. The first floor of the bar is mainly for the party lovers, downstairs for those who want to dance to loud music and the main floor is more of a lounge and is a great place to meet new friends as you enjoy your drinks with soft music in the background.

Lush

Lush is located at Chengfu Rd, Haidian, District Wudaokou area, and is one of the most popular night clubs among college students. The atmosphere is warm and lively and the people friendly. Lush is one place you can know almost everybody and making new friends is very easy. The club serves a wide range of ice cold imported and domestic drinks at affordable prices.

Taku Club

Taku is located at Erli Zhuang (North Fourth Ring Road) 16 Zhixin Lu (just west of the intersection between Zhixin Lu and Zhixin Donglu Haidian District. It is student oriented cavernous and comfortable. It has all you can drink and is a nice place to hang out with friends.

Bla Bla Bar

Nicknamed Bra Bra Bar by the funny college students, Bla Bla Bar is located within the BLCU and is mainly frequented by students. It is a nice place to meet old college friends as you make new ones. It is much cheaper than the bars outside college and more convenient for new students who are still trying to master the nightlife.

Pure Girl

Located in Sanlitun, Pure Girl is one of those bars where you can throw away your dignity for a while as you swim in your favourite bottle.

Sanlitun Bar Street

Located in Chaoyang District, Sanlitun is the most popular bar streets in Beijing and is the symbol of its nightlife. Over 60% of Beijing’s bars are found here. At this street, you can find bars, restaurants and lounges within a very small radius. The street is frequented by the expat community, foreign travellers, young locals and college students. Some of the famous clubs here include Red Moon Club, Boys & Girls, Swing, Butterfly, No. 52, Kai Club, Lan Kwai Fong and Day Off. Most bars are open 24 hours while others open from the afternoon to the next morning. Drinks available here include homemade and imported wines, soft drinks and cocktails.

One last thing...

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Studying Chinese Online With StudyHSK

2014-04-03T11:13:00.000+01:00

This is a guest post by Michael Santangelo of StudyHSK, the most intensive and structured online course.

Acquiring a foreign language is made difficult through random concepts that cannot be explained through rules. In western languages many such random concepts exist in relation to the use of articles: in English the use of the indefinite article “a”, in German or French the use of definite articles like “der, die, das” or “le, la” respectively. In Mandarin Chinese two such major random concepts exist, namely the tonal system and Chinese character handwriting. However, if you take these random concepts out of the equation, Mandarin Chinese is not harder to learn than any other language.

The only solution to mastering these random concepts is through studying them one word at a time. Knowing which tone goes with which syllable or how to handwrite a certain character will only manifest itself through constant use – and even then, you will probably forget this information more often than not. This is normal (even Chinese native speakers face the same obstacles) and once you accept that everyone has to deal with this frustration you are already on the way to being a happier student of Mandarin.

Separation of Speech and Script

As soon as it was accepted that these random concepts are a great source of frustration for Mandarin Chinese students, a study method was developed by StudyHSK isolating the problem of character handwriting. Known as the Separation of Speech and Script theory, the method considers the handwriting of characters (calligraphy) a mechanical skill that should and can most effectively be taught separately from the other skills of Mandarin Chinese language learning, i.e. speaking, listening and reading. Please note that typing Chinese on a computer using Pinyin recognition software does not fall into the handwriting but reading/speaking category.

Separating the handwriting aspect from the rest of the disciplines takes students halfway there. However, for the tonal system there is no such straight-forward solution. It has to be studied the old-fashioned way and classes with StudyHSK put a special emphasis on getting the tones and pronunciation right. Students may even find that it is quite rewarding to master a skill that is so vital to Mandarin Chinese and obscure to most of mankind.

Generally speaking, be it handwriting or the tonal system, frustration with these random concepts is pre-programmed; virtually every single student of Mandarin Chinese will go through moments of doubt whether or not he or she will ever master them. Students are advised that at such times, they should simply accept that these concepts are impossible to ever master entirely (even for Chinese native speakers) and that improving on a day by day basis must be the real goal.

Most students’ felt progress will follow a learning curve that looks roughly like this:

In Phase 1 students feel the excitement of studying something new and that they are progressing fast. In Phase 2 frustration slowly sets in, as students realize that studying Mandarin has its own pitfalls and will take hard work to master. Most students quit here. In Phase 3 you start accepting that Mandarin Chinese is different and that you will have to put in the hard work; now you are truly on the way to master the language.

How long each phase takes is different from individual to individual; however, the vast majority of students will experience a similar learning curve. What you need to remember is, no matter what you may feel subjectively, you are always progressing given that you put in the work.

Learning attitudes

The first step to a successful learning experience is to accept that Mandarin Chinese is different. It has not developed from any other language you are likely to know and as such, whenever you find yourself thinking “But in my mother tongue we do not say it like this!” stop for a moment and think. This is not your mother tongue and just accepting that Mandarin Chinese is different will already give your confidence a boost. It is one of these “free your mind and the rest will follow” situations. So free your mind of your preconceptions about language study and accept that Mandarin Chinese is a language in its own right with its own peculiarities. If you can approach studying Mandarin Chinese with a truly open mind, you will a) find that results will come faster and b) that you will waste less time on being frustrated and use the time to study instead.

Expected progress

Progress depends on the individual student’s motivation, available extra study time and talent. However, there are several things that can be guaranteed to any student who takes classes with StudyHSK in a motivated manner:

- 10 HSK test vocabulary words will be studied and mastered per two-hour session (500 sessions to cover the whole curriculum)

- Rigorous understanding of the basic Mandarin Chinese concepts with a special emphasis on getting the tones and pronunciation right

Students who study the HSK Focus curriculum for 120 hours will cover all 600 vocabulary words necessary to pass the HSK test at level 3 signifying a level of basic linguistic competency. They will also master most of the structured grammar of Mandarin Chinese. In addition, as soon as they are exposed to a Mandarin Chinese speaking environment they will find themselves adapting rapidly and generally with superior pronunciation and linguistic awareness than their peers.

You can check out StudyHSK's official website by clicking here.

The Beijing Language and Culture University of 10 Years Ago

2014-04-01T12:49:00.000+01:00

This is a guest post by Andreas Laimboeck, Director of LTL MandarinSchool and former BLCU student.

I started my intensive course at the Beijing Language and Culture University in September 2002, when Beijing was a very different city to today. While often frustrating, it was also an amazing experience to live and learn in China during that time.

Registration and Course

Back then there was pretty much no choice: if you wanted to learn Mandarin in Beijing you had to go to BLCU, whether you liked it or not. Getting accepted into the program was not difficult -- the only requirement was to be between 18 and 99 years old -- however signing up for it was quite an adventure. The weirdest part was the requirement to make pre-payment in person at the university two months before arrival in China. It took me a month to get an English speaking person on the phone in the registration department so that I could explain the technical and logical impossibility of doing so.

As I spoke not a word of Mandarin when I arrived, I decided to skip the placement level test and just went on the first day to the reception desk to tell them I could speak no Mandarin -- something they would surely realise themselves rather quickly I thought. After not being able to communicate in any way, the lady gave me a book, brought me into a class room and told me to sit down. The teacher spoke only Mandarin and my class mates were either Korean or Japanese who did not speak English.

I struggled quite a bit during the classes there. It came therefore as quite a relief to me when I found out two weeks later that I had been wrongly placed in an advanced class rather than a beginners, for reasons still unknown to me today. It took me only another two days to find an English speaking person in the registration department that I could explain my situation to. That person then accepted that I indeed spoke no Mandarin at all, but that university regulations did not allow for students to change levels after the first week.

After a lot of arguing and fighting, in the end I succeeded in being moved to a beginner class, where I finally started learning Mandarin -- about one and a half months after having arrived at BLCU. The best part of that class was that while there were initially 25 students, about 10 very quickly gave up trying to learn Mandarin and almost never showed up for class, so it was usually only about 15 of us. We were a bit unlucky though, as one of our teachers had decided to try to write her own beginners textbook which had not been tested or corrected yet, but which we were made to use nonetheless.

The book was rubbish with loads of mistakes, wrong translations and badly structured, and so it made studying with a real textbook in the second semester a very exciting and pleasant experience. We had one great teacher, Cong Laoshi, whom I am still in touch with today. He was fun and clearly enjoyed teaching us. The other classes unfortunately consisted mainly of rather pointless exercises listening to Chinese language tapes or memorising Chinese characters. Cancelled classes were common: on most Fridays the teachers would instead organise a "cultural activity". Usually that was a visit to some museum which was sometimes interesting but did not help with learning Mandarin.

Overall it was mainly memorisation drills during classes. I still remember the reply from one of my teachers to my question how to use "le" properly: "It is too difficult to explain to you and you would not understand anyway, so just listen to Chinese people speaking and use it like them". After that explanation I refrained from asking further grammatical questions during my course at BLCU.

Life and socialising at BLCU

Back then BLCU made most of its money not through its classes but by renting dormitory rooms to foreign students at very high prices. A bed in a very basic double room with shared showers and no kitchen cost about twice of what a whole apartment across the street of campus was. This worked very well because until 2002 foreigners were not allowed to live in the same complexes as Chinese, so foreign students had no other choice and had to stay in the dormitories, whatever the price or quality.

I was lucky that I had talked to a past student on an Internet forum before signing up, who had advised me to not stay in the dormitories. I managed to not pay for a whole semester's rent upfront -- money that was never returned to anyone as most people who signed up for the dormitories quickly found out what a bad deal it was.

Wudaokou was a very quiet area back then as they had just torn down the small bar street next to Beijing University and the only bar left in all of western Beijing was Bla Bla Bar on the BLCU campus. Although it wasn't very big, it was a fun place to go. As it was the only bar in the area, it was happening every night of the week, and with beers costing €1 each it was pretty much happy hour all week there.

About half of the students at BLCU back then were Korean with the rest a very international mix, and it was very easy to make new friends. The only thing about the social life there I did not like so much was that foreign and local students were strictly separated, both officially and non-officially. There was never a class room where foreigners studied Chinese next to a class room with Chinese students. The dormitory buildings were strictly separated so Chinese and foreigners never lived together; socially the foreign and Chinese communities just did not mix.

Bars and clubs at that time were just starting to appear in Beijing, and as foreigners we were always a bit of an oddity wherever we went. The centre of our social life back then -- like it is today -- was in Sanlitun (Chaoyang District), about a 40-minute taxi ride from BLCU. It was a little street called Sanlitun Nanjie with small single-floor buildings where bars sold 10 RMB Gin and Tonics.

The street was torn down a few years later unfortunately and today the Sanlitun SOHO shopping and office towers stand there as the nightlife moved across the street to Sanlitun Nanjie. Even more unfortunately, Bla Bla Bar on the BLCU campus went the same way a few years ago too.

Learning Chinese

During my first semester I did not progress a lot; I was placed in the wrong class at the beginning, the drill-style learning was not useful, classes were too large, and there was a lack of social contact with local Chinese students. Maybe sometimes my enthusiasm for the nightlife also had something to do with it. However, I had also never been a very good language learner.

During the whole time I had tried to at least find an apartment together with some Chinese students. This, however, turned out to be a lot harder than I had thought. Unlike in Europe, most Chinese seemed to see sharing an apartment as simple a rent agreement with no social communication between the people living together. It took me seven months and moving four times until I finally moved in with two guys from Anhui who wanted to make friends and were happy to speak with me in Mandarin.

It was a difficult process as our hobbies and interest were very different, but living with Li Hua and Agan was the best thing that ever happened to my Chinese learning and we remain friends to this day. After a month into my first semester, the SARS epidemic started and all universities were closed.

When I returned to Beijing after a few months of traveling (and after the SARS scare was over), I decided to not return to BLCU and just get a private tutor instead. I told her how I wanted to be taught (no more memorisation drills, and I finally wanted to learn tones), spoke with my Chinese flatmates in Mandarin the rest of the day and finally managed to make some Chinese friends. That was when I could see my Mandarin improving, though it took me another year to correct my tones (which after six months of neglect were in very bad shape).

I have very fond memories of my time in Beijing back then, especially the international friends I made, the social life and the amazing experience of living in China at that time. It also helped me to understand how Chinese should be -- or should not be -- taught and what kind of studying suits me best, based on which I managed to organise courses for me that ultimately got me to fluency -- experiences I still base the structure of the LTL Chinese semester programs on.

Beijing Language and Culture University Photos March 2014

2014-03-30T20:46:00.002+01:00

The BLCU Blog is launching a new and exciting multimedia initiative. They say that a photo tells a thousand words, and that's true. But even more importantly: photos and multimedia sharing on social networks and across the web is expected to be a driving force in 2014, with platforms such as Instagram, Vine and Facebook (of course) dominating the online social scene.

We don't like to stand still or be left behind here at The BLCU Blog, so we've hand-picked a selection of the best Beijing Language and Culture University photos for your viewing pleasure from across the web for March 2014. They are all available to be viewed in the public album on our Facebook page (be sure to 'Like' our page to get all the good updates we put out) and also right here on the blog itself.

The original owner of every photo can be found within the photo, as we have made sure to include their details with each upload. So, if you want to get in touch with them, all you have to do is search their username on the specific network (by and large Instagram) and find them that way. You can view all the photos here on blog by scrolling down!

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Beijing Language and Culture University Q&A (2014): Sriparna Pathak

2014-03-29T14:01:00.000+00:00

Photos courtesy of Sriparna Pathak

In this lengthy and detailed BLCU Q&A we talk with Sriparna Pathak from New Delhi, a specialist at the Centre for Development and Peace Studies (CDPS) and guest lecturer at several universities across India. She discusses her time at the Beijing Language and Culture University where she studied Mandarin between 2011-2013.

Sriparna tells us about her journey to BLCU (and her possible future plans for China), and considers some of the areas she feels the university still has room for improvement, while admitting that she had a lot of great experiences there. After all, although it's easy to remember all the joy from our time in Beijing, perhaps it is too easy to overlook some of the downsides and 'mafan'!

You can find all of our BLCU Q&As here, so be sure to check the rest out! For now, let's jump straight in and see what Sriparna has to share. I recommend you set aside some time to read the whole post, as it's a very worthwhile read and raises a lot of good points about the BLCU experience.

Please give me some background about yourself, including why you decided to study Chinese at BLCU.

My Masters was in International Relations, after which I opted for an M.Phil in Chinese Studies. (M.Phil is restricted to the Indian sub continent largely, and is an intervening period/degree between Masters and PhD.) My M.Phil dissertation was on the impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Chinese economy.

While writing the dissertation, I had to rely mostly on Western sources for an analysis on China, and I felt my understanding was incomplete since it was based mostly on Western interpretations and interpretations undertaken by a few other Indians, who also rely on Western sources (the number of people from the West who know Mandarin is far more than the number of Indians who know Mandarin).

I felt the quality of my dissertation would have been better had I known Mandarin myself. I refused to rely on interpreters anyway since my understanding and analysis would definitely be different from theirs, which is why I didn't even think of hiring a translator to translate Chinese books and journal articles.

I worked at a think tank after my M.Phil. I was simultaneously pursuing a PhD degree (I am submitting my PhD thesis this July). At the think tank, I was heading the China Studies programme, and even travelled to Beijing, representing India at the BRICS Think Tanks' Summit. The desire for a better quality research at the PhD level reached its zeniths after having visited China twice. I did not like relying on a translator while giving interviews, or relying on them to make my Chinese counterparts understand what my area of specialisation was.

Related: 7 Study Tips For Success At BLCU

I came back and complained to the director of our think tank, and he suggested I speak to a few academics and government officials respectively to try and find out what could be done. Thus, in 2011, I was awarded the prestigious scholarship by the Government of India, and by the CSC to study Mandarin and to undertake research in China for two years (from 2011-13). My dreams came true!

I picked up Mandarin very easily. I already can speak about eight languages in all, which is probably why Mandarin also became easy. I found similarities between the grammar structure of a few Indian languages and Mandarin, which made life easier in classes at BLCU. I also undertook interviews while I was in China, visited warehouses, spoke to migrant labourers etc., all of which are now integral aspects of my PhD thesis.

I currently work for a think tank called the Centre for Development and Peace Studies (CDPS), which is based in Assam, India. My areas of specialisation at CDPS include urbanisation, manufacturing, rare earth metals, infrastructure creation among others. I have already delivered several lectures at several universities across India on various issues that the Chinese economy currently faces.

The final goal in life is to join the Indian Foreign Services someday, and to represent India in China, and try and solve our border issues and trade imbalance issues, among others. However, this dream shall have to wait for a few years, until I feel completely confident about my own diplomatic capabilities.

I understand there are some areas where you think BLCU could improve. I wonder if you can just expand on some of these issues a little more for the blog? The reason is, I think people are quick to remember all the good points about BLCU, but often forget some of the inadequacies! In that sense, it would be interesting to hear some of the specific areas (with examples where appropriate) where you think BLCU could improve.

Well, those two years were a mix of good and bad experiences. I loved all my teachers and my classmates, plus the friends I made on campus outside classrooms. But I was disappointed with the facilities like internet for example, or the lack of drinking water facilities in the dormitories, or even the lack of avenues to complain about the misbehaviour of certain employees like the 'fuwuyuans' (maids) in the dormitories, etc.

Undoubtedly, BLCU is the best university in China to learn Mandarin, but it would be much better if it was more student friendly, and had more options to make lives of foreign students better.

Related: A Typical Day At BLCU

The wait to land in Beijing and to get to Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), the BEST University in China to learn Mandarin, seemed to be never ending. Plus, BLCU was also popularly known as the "mini United Nations". I simply could not wait to get there! Nevertheless, after landing at the airport, what followed was an absolute shock, as I realised no one spoke in English outside the airport.

I hastily drew out my scholarship notice and showed it to the taxi driver, who nodded and said something that was absolutely beyond me; and I decided to test my luck and jumped into the taxi. Well, in an hour’s time BLCU was definitely where I reached, but I did not know where exactly to get off. I looked around for help, and asked someone who seemed to be a student for help. On being asked, he said he spoke Chinese, and rapid fire conversation in Chinese with the driver followed. I was immediately driven inside the campus.

So, I was inside BLCU! Finally! I heaved a sigh of relief. But my relief turned to horror when I saw a long queue at some random dormitory where I was dropped off! There was a cafeteria nearby, and after a month I found out that was Dormitory No. 4! After waiting for about an hour, the receptionist (or rather ‘fuwuyuan’ as I learned later in classes) repeatedly said “NO” and “GO 9” in English. The rest was in Chinese. I was literally on the verge of pulling my hair out and dropped to the floor and started crying and howling.

Related: How To Book Accommodation At BLCU and Arriving At BLCU Without Accommodation

A couple of foreigners rushed towards me and picked me up, offered me water and asked me what the problem was. I told them I was jet lagged, I spoke no Chinese, and I needed to find my dormitory, and the lady at the counter just kept saying “Go 9” which did not make sense. One of the foreigners spoke to the lady and then told me that I had to go to Dormitory No. 9, which was meant specifically for scholarship students. Somehow, I managed to reach Dorm 9, and heaved a sigh of relief to find out that the ‘fuwuyuan’ there spoke some English!

So after you arriving at the Beijing International Airport, taking a one-hour taxi ride to BLCU, and eventually finding the correct dorm building for scholarship students (No. 9), what was next?

After registration at the university the next day, I was told there was an “orientation ceremony”. I really looked forward to it! In a few days, I made friends with classmates and with people who lived on my floor in the dorm. All of us were excited about the “orientation”, which meant different things to different people with different nationalities.

Related: Introduction To Life At BLCU

However, on the day of the “orientation”, we sat through a long boring speech on dos and don'ts in China, on handling depression, and how to respect rules! I definitely wanted someone to at least let us know how to use the library! We were students after all! Library introduction was definitely a mandatory according to my conceptualisation. Also, I really wanted to know about the campus, or the facilities available on the campus, or extracurricular activities or the grievance redress cell, or how to avail services of the hospital, etc.

None of them was discussed, and I was as bewildered as I was on the first day. I had imagined things would become easy after the orientation. But no! I was wrong. So, from things like water facilities (strangely enough not available in dormitories, for heavens knows what reason) to getting an Internet connection, to getting a phone recharge done, I had only NOBODY to rely on.

Thankfully, I met people from neighbouring countries, who pitched in and helped just because we spoke the same languages! On a completely different note, this helped strengthen what we South Asians call “People to people contact to ease animosity”. So, BLCU did prove to be a mini United Nations after all. It helped strengthen Track 2 diplomacy!

Sounds like the "orientation" process at BLCU wasn't the most helpful, and failed to address some of the most important issues new students have. Please continue...

Going back to the problem of the lack of water in dormitories: BLCU’s dormitories are strange! My friends from Beida (Beijing University) and Tsinghua (University) told me drinking water facilities were available in their dormitories and they did not have to buy bottled drinking water like us! The issue is not the 15 RMB for a bottle of water, the issue is having to wait at times and going thirsty till water is delivered to the room!

Related: How To Get A 12L Water Tank At BLCU

The other irritating issue was that of getting an Internet connection! Well, BLCU is a respectable university, but I wondered why Wi-Fi facilities were not available to all the students for free. Besides the fact that renowned universities in my country (India) provide Wi-Fi facilities for free to students (since education is what the purpose of the existence of any university is), I also know of other universities in Beijing that provide Internet facilities either for free or for as cheap as 1 RMB! I paid 100 RMB! It was simply outrageous!

The dormitory continued to be a source of irritation throughout my stay in BLCU. Issues ranged from racist fuwuyuans to pathetic standards of hygiene in the washrooms to the dormitory turning into a hotel during the vacations: people who had to go to other provinces first landed in Beijing from their respective countries, rested in Beiyu for a day or two, and then proceeded to their final destinations. I failed to understand why long-term students were made to put up with random strangers in their rooms, or the fact that just two cooking plates were available in the kitchen, meaning that people had to queue up for hours.

For some of us, food became a serious issue. After falling sick a couple of times because of the food from the 'shitang' (canteen), I had to begin cooking myself. My stomach could not take any other kind of food anymore. There are also others who have religious considerations, as a result of which homemade food becomes a necessity. Two cooking plates is a joke! Seriously!

Since I have hit the topic of food, let us take a diversion to the quality of food and the levels of hygiene in the shitang! If I had to use one word, I’d just say, “pathetic”. The used dishes are just stacked one on top of the other, unwashed and stinking, flies hovering over food, cockroaches found in food items, and the list goes on. BLCU definitely can do a better job at the shitang standards!

I certainly agree that there are many hygiene and quality concerns around food in China, even at BLCU. I myself was sick many times during my one-year stay. The Internet process for new students could also be better streamlined to get them up and running without so much hassle. Please go on with your story...

The most irritating part was the absolute absence of a grievance redress cell! I spoke to my teachers, who lent me a sympathetic ear, but it ended at that. Diverting again to the dormitory: after classes, I needed to stay away from the dormitory as much as I could, so I sat at LaVita Cafe or the Beer Garden, or on the benches near the basketball courts.

Related: LaVita Cafe, BLCU

Often I saw Chinese students taking part in extracurricular activities, and I wished it would be the same for us. It did make me feel like a step child of the university! We did have a 'huodong' (activity) once in a semester, but once in a semester versus innumerable times for Chinese students just seemed unfair! Thankfully, I soon found out about the swimming pool, and instantly sought relaxation and happiness in swimming.

After a year of Mandarin, I was confident of my Chinese skills and decided to jump straight from 'chuji' (beginner level) to 'gaoji' (advanced level)! Well, it did seem intimidating, but thanks to the constant encouragement I got from my laoshi (teacher), life did not seem difficult. Soon enough, we were taken for a field trip (waidi shixi) and I got to experience more of China. That definitely was one thing I shall be thankful to BLCU for the rest of my life. It gave me the scope to interact with people from Southern China, and to get a different view from what I had been getting from people in the north.

Can you tell us a bit about your final semester at BLCU?

Another semester passed, and I was in 'gaoji xia'! The final semester! However, this semester was the most difficult one, not because of the language, but because of other reasons. It was this semester which made me realise how difficult it is to get things done in BLCU. In one of the chapters on population, the statistics for India were wrong, and were definitely not what the UN statistics for India are.

I brought this up in class, since I definitely know the population statistics for my own country just as well as I know my own name. But the teacher simply said it was impossible to change the books. Being fed with wrong data was definitely not something I came to BLCU for. In another chapter on the philosophies of life, it was stated that Hinduism is based on the four elements of life, while it is the five elements of life for China. This again was ridiculous, but there seemed to be no way to get this across. I definitely felt seriously disappointed. However, I let all the 'laoshis' know about this. I do not know if it had any effect or will ever have any effect.

These are all valid points, and unfortunately errors always abound in Chinese textbooks, as quality control is not always as good as in some other countries. It is a shame that they did not check their facts better. How about some of the positive aspects you found in studying at BLCU?

Yes, enough about the negatives of BLCU. Life definitely is a mix of the good, the bad and the ugly, and it is true for BLCU as well. Two years at BLCU taught me enough Mandarin to compete with someone who has learnt Mandarin for five years in India. BLCU also gave me the scope to showcase my country at the world cultural festival.

BLCU gave me two of the teachers I love and respect the most in my life, and was also the reason behind my meeting with our First Secretary (Culture and Education) the first time, as I went to invite him for the 50th anniversary of BLCU. BLCU also became the reason behind my boyfriend flying down from India to see the kind of environment I lived in. In the process, he proposed marriage at the Wu Club in Chinese!

Well, we had always known we would get married, but never did I dream that he would fly down to China, learn how to propose in Chinese (he learnt it from my laoshi, he says) and then finally fly back to India, making me realise that I would never be able to survive without him. So, I do have a lot of precious BLCU memories.

Related: 10 Reasons To Study Chinese At BLCU

In all honesty, I love BLCU, and since it is the Beijing Language and ‘Culture’ University, I shall end with something from my own culture. Our culture teaches us to love our parents and teachers (we also have the concept of filial piety like the Chinese do). BLCU gave me some of the best teachers of my life.

In addition to filial piety our culture also teaches us to criticise what is hindering the development of our social units of existence, because criticising is the first way to get rid of the problem that is holding us back. This is a form of love. Given the fact that I love BLCU dearly, I would be the happiest if the problems I had faced while I was there are dealt with and eradicated permanently, 因为我永远爱母校北语 (because I'll love my 'mother school' forever)!

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TED Talks At The Beijing Language And Culture University

2014-03-28T15:07:00.000+00:00

Photo by TEDx

Who knew that TEDx, the series of independently organised TED events, has hosted several talks at the Beijing Language and Culture University over recent years? The events have all been suitably named TEDxBLCU, and you can find some example photos on one of the 2010 events' Flickr page.

The most recent TEDxBLCU event was held in June 2011, with two prior to that in 2010. A lot of people who were at BLCU during that time, including myself, probably never even knew that TEDx had organised an event there, and many may have wished to have attended if they'd had the chance.

It just goes to serve as a reminder to current students at BLCU not to forget to keep up to date with what events are currently being held by the uni, as you never know when TEDx, or a similarly famous organisation, may stop by again. And if you miss the opportunity you might kick yourself.

As an example, the theme of one of the 2010 talks was "Make A Difference". The official TEDx page describes the event as follows: "Our event is all about change and making a difference in life. Four speakers from distinct walks of life give their unique views on how to live a fulfilled life. With their personal experience and reflection on how to make a courageous first step, they tell vivid stories and demonstrate convincingly that life is full of possibilities."

The speaker line-up of this particular 2010 talk was as follows (from the event's official page):

Xuquan Wang 王旭泉 He obtained a Master's Degree of Cultural Studies from University of Edinburgh in 2005.Then he worked for the Beijing Olympic Games as a translator, followed by a company that offers multilingual services. In April 2009, he joined Yeeyan and is currently responsible for the website operation and other business concerning Yeeyan.

Yirong Yuan 袁亦荣 An entrepreneur from North China University of Technology, Yuan Yirong is dedicated to developing the most influential platform for 3G human resource.

Lin Cong 丛林 Currently working for PwC, she also enjoyed doing part-time job as a DJ for Qingmeng Music Station. She believes that "Be Confident, be brave, and just be yourself" is more important than anything.

Zhengchen Liu 刘正琛 Founder of the Peking University Sunshine Volunteer Organization, he built the first Non-Governmental Bone Marrow Donors in China, and thus helped lots of people who suffers from leukemia, just like he did.

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China Q&A (2014): Carl Ji

2014-03-26T21:30:00.000+00:00

Chinese national Carl Ji during his year-long
exchange in the UK in 2014

Although we cover almost exclusively topics directly or indirectly related to the Beijing Language and Culture University here on The BLCU Blog, just once in a while it's interesting to look further afield at China as a whole. We got in touch with one of our good friends, Carl Ji, a Chinese national from Shenzhen, to have a chat about the North-South divide, culture, Beijing, and education.

If nothing else, it may give you some talking points with your new (or old) BLCU friends. But above all, hopefully you find it interesting reading in its own right! Remember to check out the rest of our Q&A sessions here.

There is a saying in Chinese which goes, “If you want to be famous, go to the North (Beijing); if you want to be rich, go to the South (Shenzhen).” Can you tell us more about this?

Yes, especially for singers and actors that want to become famous, there is an idea engrained in the Chinese culture that they need to go to Beijing to have the best chance (in the same way that Americans for years, and still today, go to New York or Hollywood to find fame). By "North" in the context of the saying, really we are talking specifically about Beijing.

In Beijing there are many famous movie directors who will screen actors and hold auditions for new films and projects. Meanwhile singers will try to get a public audience and exposure by singing in places like the subway and major pedestrian tunnels (such as ones that go under large sections of road in busy areas). They hope a music agent will find them and offer them a record deal or opportunity to get rich.

In Chinese we refer to these struggling artists who have come to Beijing as "beipiao", or "Northern flutter". Their lives are hard and unstable. Some of them are forced to live in the back of cargo trucks or underground, either for free or for just a few RMB per night. These people are usually not Beijing locals, but rather from other provinces. Beijing is a big city full of people with big dreams.

Slightly off the topic, but if you look at a map of China, you can make out the outline of a chicken. Beijing is right about where the heart would be. The heart is the most vital organ in the body, pumping blood even to the brain. Without it the body would not function, and without Beijing China would not be China!

What are the main differences between Northern and Southern China from the point of view of the Chinese themselves?

Beijing is the political centre, whereas the south is the economic centre. This includes places like Shanghai, Shenzhen, and even Hong Kong (which now belongs to China again). There is more chance and opportunity for business in the south when compared with Beijing -- it is more fair. The stereotype is thus that more businessmen flock to the south, while more artists head to the north. Of course, it is just a stereotype, but there are elements of truth to it.

Let's look at my hometown: Shenzhen. In the south we believe there is less corruption here than in the capital. Beijing has so many high-ranking government officials, meaning that if you want to make a successful business there on a large scale, you need a lot more powerful contacts and handshakes than you do in the south. Coastal cities such as Shanghai are historically considered more open to business; these places have done trade with the outside world for generations. Beijing, by comparison, is much more tucked away into the mainland. For a long time it was hard for it to generate an international reputation. It's so far from the sea!

Regarding cuisine, in the south we eat much more rice, whilst in the north they prefer noodles and dumplings. There is also a perception of the difference between strong and light dishes (in terms of flavour), but that is more true of the light Guangdong palette than it is of the south as a whole.

Of course, one of the big differences is language: Putonghua in the north and Cantonese in the south. But if you want to really go into it deeper, you need to appreciate that every province has its own dialect (Sichuan-hua, Dongbei-hua, or Shanghai-hua -- these are just three examples).

As far as the physical characteristics of the people go, in the south they are considered on average quite short and thin, perhaps partly due to the difference in climate. Meanwhile, northerners are considered very strong. Some say that southerners are naturally more adept at business, but of course there is no scientific proof to such a claim! And it's easy to guess who came up with that one! The northerners call us "southern thieves" -- it's all in good humour. Of course translations differ in all of this.

Do you feel there is competition between the famous universities of the South and those in the North?

There is no doubt that the two most famous universities in China are from the north: one is Beijing (or Peking; Beida in Chinese) University, and the other is Tsinghua University. Everyone knows that. Do the south ever want to challenge the power of the north in terms of the reputations of their institutions? Sure, but it's hard.

One thing foreigners have to understand about the education system in China at university level is that they give preference to students from their own city. The marks required of a Beijing local to get into Beida are much lower than those set for students from southern provinces. If I want to go to Sun Yat-sen University in Shenzhen, it will be easier for me than for someone from outside Guangdong.

Historically, lots of China's most famous people have graduated from Beida and Tsinghua, which adds to the reputation. They are like the Oxford and Cambridge of China.

You can find Carl Ji on Weibo, Facebook, and see some of the photos from his travels on Flickr.

Carl Ji with the chairman of the Lancashire council in the UK

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Beijing Language and Culture University Q&A (2014): Chelsey Mark

2014-03-25T22:43:00.000+00:00

It's not often that The BLCU Blog gets to interview a high-profile Chinese presenter from national TV channels and shows. Chelsey Mark (麦小龙) is none other. A Canadian student at the Beijing Language and Culture University over 10 years ago, Chelsey has gone on to lead a highly successful career in Chinese showbiz.

His achievements are numberless, but include being "the first foreign TV presenter to host long term programmes on China's biggest platforms" (CCTV, Music and English Channel, Hunan TV, Shandong TV, The Travel Channel, Beijing TV, and Tianjin TV), according to his professional resume.

He has also hosted live events for international brands such as Microsoft, Volkswagen, BMW, Nikes, Jordan, MTV, Red Bull, Pepsi, Men's Health, NBA, The North Face, Acer, and many more.

Between 2007-2010, Chelsey was the official presenter of the Chinese TV show NBA "Made in China", interviewing some of the greats of the game that included Darryl Dawkins and Lebron James.

Impressed yet? Read on to find out what Chelsey had to share with The BLCU Blog in this exclusive interview. Remember, you can find all our previous Q&As here.

What lead you to study Chinese at BLCU, and what had you been doing up till that point?

Between 1996-2000 I had been at Brandon University in Canada studying Sociology (major) and Psychology with Drama (minor). During that time I was playing on the university men's basketball B team, DJ'ing at the biggest club in Brandon, coaching basketball, volunteering as a commentator on Basketball games, being the president of the co-ed residence, as well as shooting and editing videos for the local public TV station.

In 2000-2001 I had been teaching in Zhangjia Gang (a junior school in Jiangsu Province) as an English teacher, and then received a year scholarship to study Chinese at BLCU, where I eventually enrolled in 2001!

How did your time at BLCU help you to grow and integrate into the Chinese culture, and what were some of the most important lessons you took away when you left?

The most important lesson I had was the Chinese people which lived and worked inside the school and around it. They were used to interacting with students and so were willing to take the time to understand what you were "trying" to say. Thinking back, learning a new language from scratch does take a lot of courage and energy, so BLCU was a really welcoming environment to start in.

It was different for me because I had already had one year of being thrown into the sea of living in a town where no one spoke English, making the transition to BLCU really easy. When I had to try new things (i.e. language) I could always just take a walk around the block and bump into someone whom I could talk to. Bargaining for a lower price on a Great Wall shirt at the market or just buying fruit was always a useful way of practicing Chinese.

Did you meet anyone or make any contacts during your time at BLCU that you benefited from down the road (for example, they later helped you out in some aspect of your career, or simply remained good friends)? Essentially, did the people you met at BLCU have any lasting affect on you?

I have several friends which I still see often here around the city and that am still in contact with today. My career is in entertainment, so unfortunately for me this career has nothing to do with my friends' careers here in Beijing, but the silver lining is that we are all good friends and continue to support each other in our different life and career paths.

Are you in any way involved with BLCU or the community of foreign students there these days?

It's been more than 10 years since I've been in BLCU so I'm not really involved in the community, although I would love to go back to speak to the kids as a "motivational" speaker. I also live in downtown Beijing so it's a bit of a trip to BLCU.

As a student at BLCU, which bars/clubs/restaurants did you regular and love the best?

When I was at BLCU we would always frequent the school bars and restaurants because that's where everyone was -- it was really convenient (although I can't remember any of the names of the bars). You have to remember that back then it wasn't as developed as it is now in the year 2014. That part of the city is now basically it's own little metropolis, but when I was there it was like a village by comparison.

What advice can you share with current or prospective BLCU students about how to get the best out of coming to China, and how to start a successful career in China if they choose to stay?

The advice I can give to the students coming to study at BLCU is to prepare as little as possible when it comes to brushing up on studying the Chinese culture and other things people tell you to be prepared for. Now the area where BLCU is located has all the amenities of a global city.

Chinese culture these days in that part of the city is also totally different from 10 years ago or since the Tang Dynasty. My personal quote really applies to this situation: "If you were going to study for a driver's licence test, would you learn how to make a wheel?" Not sure if you understand the reference...

If you want a successful career in China it's pretty simple: be prepared to stay here for at least five years, then we will talk, rookie... :)

You can connect with Chelsey through his official website, on Sina Weibo, Facebook and Twitter.

One last thing...

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Beijing Language and Culture University Q&A (2014): Brian Liu

2014-03-25T14:28:00.000+00:00

In this BLCU Q&A with local Chinese student Brian Liu, from Hunan Province, we get a look into the life of a non-foreigner studying at the Beijing Language and Culture University. He takes a look at his typical day, what it's like to be surrounded by so many foreigners on campus, and the tireless hours that go into getting into a reputable university in China.

Remember to check out all our Q&A posts here. Thanks to Brian for his time, and remember that you too could appear in the series: just email theblcublog@gmail.com and let us know that you're interested to be interviewed.

Please tell us about your process of getting to BLCU. I understand for Chinese nationals it is a very competitive university (one of the best), whereas for international students it is simply a matter of paying a fee to learn Chinese. We don’t need to show the same academic achievement to get entry into BLCU as you do. Essentially I’m asking to tell us about your journey to BLCU.

I had to work so hard on the college entrance examinations to get admitted at BLCU. In China, if you want get into a reputable college (what we call zhongdian benke, 重点本科 in Chinese) in Beijing or Shanghai, you have to get really high grades in that examination. My grade was 612 (of a possible 750). Back then, BLCU wouldn't even consider you if your grades were under 594. By comparison, the grades for Tsinghua and Peking University was around 680-690. Only one guy in my class got into Tsinghua and nine of us got into BLCU.

We had to work day and night to get such high scores. Many of us were tired all the time in order to get into our ideal college (the exam is only held once a year, and usually lasts two days between 7-8 June). I intended to major in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, but because my grades weren't high enough I was transferred to Management Information Science, where I am now.

As a Chinese national, how is it be on a campus with so many international students on your doorstep? Is this a great opportunity or do you get tired of all the foreigners (haha)? Do you find it easy finding language partners or are there too many Chinese students competing for the attention of the foreigners? I wonder if you could explore these ideas a little bit, and what your sense of being on such an international campus is.

At first it's exciting and cool to see different people from all over the world speaking different languages. My hometown is a very remote village in Hunan Province, and I did't get many chances to see foreigners. But I quickly got used to it. We are all the same, and to be honest some of the foreign students can be jerks just like everyone else!

It's easy to find language partners on campus. All you do is pin up a poster or ask foreigners in the Canteen, etc. We have more foreign students here than Chinese. You don't have to fight for a language partner, and some of us don't really want one.

Regarding the international college, I don't really think we can call BLCU international in the same way that Harvard and MIT (for example) are international, and where people come from all over the world to actually learn something, not just a language. As you have said, you pay a fee and you get into this college (as a foreigner). I don't think that there is much communication between Chinese and Foreign students except the language exchange thing. We live in two different worlds basically.

What were your first impressions of Beijing and BLCU when you arrived from Hunan? Were they positive or mixed with some negative? What were your worries about being at BLCU, and what did you think was great?

When I first arrived in Beijing I felt excited and hot! It was nearly September and Beijing's weather was so dry that my nose kept bleeding on the very first day. Other than that everything was great.

What have been your good experiences with foreign students at BLCU, and what have been your bad experiences?

I have some very good foreign friends and language partners. We help each other with the language and hang out. I've got a friend from Italy who gave me a copy of their music. It was awesome. As for bad experiences, I don't really have any. If you don't like someone you just simply walk away.

I know the average day of a foreign student at BLCU, but I wonder if you could give me an example of the average day for a Chinese student? I imagine it is much more tiring and that there is more pressure to perform well. What is your average day like?

A normal day for us is dull and boring. Usually we get up around 7am (to make sure we show up by 8am in the classroom), then grab something to eat at the school canteen most of the time. If you are running late you may want to just buy some bread from the Bakers. Our morning classes end at noon, then we have lunch, take a nap (if you want), and go back to afternoon classes between 2-6pm. After that we might have some optional classes, but most of us are free then. The power is cut at midnight so we have to make sure we get into our beds before then (lol).

One last thing...

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HelloTalk Chinese Language Exchange App (iOS/Android)

2014-03-24T02:33:00.000+00:00

In this post, The BLCU Blog takes a look at the Chinese language exchange app HelloTalk, available on both iOS and Android platforms. After spending some time with it, we are confident in recommending it to anyone studying Chinese at the Beijing Language and Culture University, or anywhere else for that matter. The app offers almost all the benefits of a Chinese language partner from the comfort of your own home (or home country), and caters to different levels of learners from beginner to advanced.

Let's be clear, this is a free service and so there's no reason not to at least check it out. All the Chinese students you can find on it are simply wishing to practice their English (or other language) with a native speaker, giving you the chance to do the same with your Mandarin or Cantonese. Don't confuse this with a paid teaching platform.

Finally, don't forget to check out The BLCU Blog's exclusive Q&A with one of HelloTalk's main developers at the end of the post.

To get a general overview of how the app looks, feels and functions, take a few minutes to watch HelloTalk's official video:

There are a few things that really strike me about this app:

Ease-of-use: HelloTalk is designed in a way conducive to a very friendly user experience. Almost every part of the interface is intuitive to use and easy to navigate. The actual conversation exchange, whether in text or audio, is also straightforward and effective. It is clear that the team have spent a lot of time testing and perfecting the app in these areas, and it's paid off.
Filling a gap in the market: There is certainly demand among smartphone and tablet users on platforms such as iOS and Android for an app like this. To date, I have not seen another app nail the concept of a Chinese language exchange as well as HelloTalk does. Because of this, as word spreads and updates continue to roll out from the developer team to further improve the user experience, HelloTalk is bound to become a household name among serious and casual learners of the Chinese language alike.
Free service: HelloTalk as a concept and in its execution is actually so good (even in these early stages) that it could easily operate as a paid service on a subscription or other basis. The fact that it is entirely free to use makes it a must-have. In the way that LinkedIn connects businesses, HelloTalk is connecting Chinese language learners to native speakers, and vice versa. Unlike other China-based social apps (Weibo and so on) where it's possible to find language partners, with HelloTalk everyone using it is there for that reason alone, and so it is much easier to instantly connect and get talking -- because both parties are online with the sole purpose of language exchange.

Some of the benefits of HelloTalk, according to its website, include the ability to: "Find native speakers of the language you are learning locally or worldwide; Help each other learn foreign language through text and voice language exchange; Share photos with your language partner about your life and home country culture; Practice constantly and you will be amazed that language learning can be fun!"

Talking to The BLCU Blog, one of HelloTalk's head developers was excited to announce a new update coming to both platforms in the very near future: "We just submitted a new major update to iOS (Android maybe in 10 days), which has many new features. Major functions include: transcribing your language partner's voice message into text; sending a voice message with text to your language partner to help them learn; message read statuses; horizontal mode for chat input, and more." You can scroll to the bottom to see some screenshots from the new update.

Finally, here is the exclusive Q&A with a developer from the HelloTalk team:

Why did you decide to make this app?

HelloTalk is made by a group of language enthusiasts, so it's basically an app out of our own need to find language exchange partners. The founder lived in Korea before where he had received language exchange help from volunteers of a language exchange cafe. Practicing a language with native speakers had been such an amazing help to language learning that the HelloTalk Team wanted to bring this to language learners worldwide.

What has the response been to the app?

Response so far has been great. The app has 4.2 (out of 5) average ratings on the Apple App store and Google Play. For people who can find suitable language partners (usually 3-5 is enough), they are delighted to be able to learn not only language but culture from real native speakers. The app currently supports learning and language exchange among 80+ languages. Most popular languages have more than 5,000 active native speakers and learners using HelloTalk weekly.

How do you see it growing/changing in the future?

HelloTalk developers are focusing on adding features users need most at the moment. A new version coming in about ten days will add voice to text, filter users by timezone/my turn to reply/native language functions. Other features such as being able to learn multiple languages and groups are next in line to be developed. The focus in the next six months is just to add more features for language learning, and let the app grows organically through word of mouth.

Are you working on any other projects?

Currently, we are only focusing on making a single app: HelloTalk.

Do you have any connections with BLCU?

Originally HelloTalk was only conceived to start with English/Chinese language exchange and learning. The founders originally intended to set up the HelloTalk project right within the BLCU campus, and had interviewed students and graduates of BLCU (including some who worked in Confucius Institute overseas).

Eventually HelloTalk was launched one and a half years ago with ten language pairs. With so much pollution and traffic problem in Beijing, the intention to be based in Beijing was scraped lol...

Do you offer some premium features for a fee?

HelloTalk offers a very convenient way for users to translate, transliterate, and transcribe (voice to text) messages instantly within the app. Users can mark all these as favourites for review and learning later in flashcard style.

Courtesy free translation, transliteration, and transcription is available 20 times total per day, which is basically the amount 90% of HelloTalk app users will not go over. For those who would like to have no limits, they can pay for unlimited service at US$0.99 a month or US$9.99 a year.

Any final comments?

HelloTalk is an app made by and for serious language learners. Naturally for any app that connects with strangers based on a common interest, it's easy for people to use it as a dating app etc. HelloTalk developers have put a lot of efforts and measures in place in order to maintain a true language learning environment.

We strongly encourage serious language learners to try out our app, and help us spread the word about HelloTalk to similarly avid language learners worldwide.

For those interested, you can find HelloTalk on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android):

Beijing Language and Culture University Q&A (2014): Thomas Longrigg

2014-03-20T02:11:00.002+00:00

This fantastic and extensive Q&A with Tommy Longrigg is one of the most in-depth interviews that The BLCU Blog has done to date, and we are very excited to share it with you all. Although you may initially be put off by the sheer amount of words offered here by Tommy (who was very generous with his time), for anyone serious about getting to know the Beijing Language and Culture University, and for advice from someone who has been extremely successful in leading a life in Beijing after graduating, you would be wise to learn a thing or two from what he has to say.

Remember that you can find all our previous Q&A posts here, but for now let's jump straight into this interview with Tommy.

Could you share with us briefly your background and why you ended up at BLCU?

I was a transfer student from Dalian University of Foreign Languages in 2011. I won a scholarship in Dalian and gained the attention of BLCU who offered me a place there. I wanted to transfer because I was thinking about leaving Dalian, and BLCU is a great school. A better place to have one's degree from, especially in Chinese education.

So, I was finishing my degree there. I was ban zhang for a couple of terms, I was also in the Hanyu Qiao competition in 2009, as well as in the business sketch we did when Liu Yandong from the Central Government came to visit I graduated in top 10 of class of 2011, one of only two europeans in the list. I now work for an international school in the marketing and admissions offices.

You mention that you spent some time at Dalian University of Foreign Languages. It may be the case that some of our readers have heard about that university and considered it as an alternative to BLCU. Could you go into what you think the main differences are, and why particularly you would recommend BLCU over Dalian (if that is indeed the case)?

To be honest, Dalian University of Foreign Languages (Dawai) was an OK school. The main thing is that it's not cheaper than BLCU and nowhere near as prestigious for Chinese learning. If you are doing a degree program, then in my view there's only one school to seriously consider if you're willing or wanting to be in Beijing, and that is BLCU. If you do want to be in Dalian, then Dawai is good, as is Dalian University of Technology and Liaoning Normal University. I also did the short-term (3 month) speed-up Chinese course at Dawai, which was great fun. The teachers were decent and I had lots of fun with my classmates (mostly Koreans).

Related: 10 Reasons To Study Chinese At BLCU

Differences? With BLCU you get the guarantee of experienced teachers, a mature program that is more than 5 decades in the making, a school with authority in Chinese teaching, and a degree at the end in Chinese language that is really worth a lot. By the time I graduated, my Chinese was at the level where I was writing my thesis, defending it, watching movies, TV shows without subtitles, understanding humour, and basically living here with the confidence in Chinese that I feel one needs to truly enjoy this place.

At Dawai you get a good place to live (although the campus has now been moved further out of the city, which is a nice location but kinda sucks if you wanna live downtown), a coastal location, smaller city, cheaper cost of living. But your tuition fees won't be a lot cheaper.

Dalian is a more liveable city than Beijing. It has a pleasant enough climate; is by the sea; is a manageable size and isn't as affected by pollution. People there are friendly, and the city has everything you could need. It's got a good airport too that's not far from the city centre, and if you end up making lots of Korean friends, then Korea is only 1 hour or less flight away direct from Dalian!

You say you won a scholarship at Dalian. Did that include going to study at BLCU on scholarship? I met some scholarship students when I was in BLCU myself, and sometimes got the impression they were having to survive on a much tighter budget than the other international students. However, they were always hard working and dedicated to their studies. In what ways did being a scholarship student affect your experience? And can you briefly go into what the scholarship offered in terms of support, classes, and so on?

I won the scholarship in Dalian, at Dawai. It was worth about 15,000 RMB (a huge sum for me, it equated to nearly all my remaining tuition) but after being offered the place at BLCU and me accepting it, the university decided to not give me that money and instead kept it for themselves. That money was awarded by the city government, not the university, it was NOT theirs to keep. It was a very negative way for me to leave a place I had otherwise enjoyed.

Unfortunately, I wasn't offered a scholarship at BLCU initially. I raised the money for my first year there, but won several scholarships over my 2.5 years there, which contributed a good chunk of my tuition fees and living costs. I wasn't a full scholarship student, and had to find other ways to pay my remaining fees. I got a bit from home, some from tutoring and some from a fund I had raised from a sponsor in Dalian.

Related: Earn Money Teaching English While At BLCU

The scholarships I got from BLCU helped me pay rent and living expenses. I wasn't an impoverished student though, I was a well-known tutor for others at BLCU, and the uni found me other interesting gigs that made me extra money. I had a very good relationship with the student support office in the school of Chinese.

And yes, students on full scholarships to BLCU either from China or overseas were always on very tight budgets compared to others. Many of the regular students there are there and being totally paid for by family, so they live very low-pressure lives. Scholarship students often have to try and take tutoring gigs to make enough money to get by properly.

You said that by the time you graduated your Chinese level was so high that you could write a thesis in the language. What was the secret ingredient in becoming so proficient in such a short term? Hard work, mixing with the locals, a certain study routine? I’m sure all this and more played a role, but perhaps you could go into some details about what study habits paid off the best for you in learning Chinese, specifically at BLCU (though I’m sure the same habits are applicable anywhere)?

I could just say it was all down to hard work and my extraordinary talent :-P but in fact the real "secret weapon" I had over many people learning Chinese in Beijing is that I had a 2-year period before university where I was just living and working in a city where virtually NO ONE speaks English --- Dalian.

I lived in a neighborhood that still was shocked/surprised to see westerners, and where the only people with any English were the kids I was teaching. This was a fantastic "dropped in the deep end" approach that proved incredibly effective. I found myself dedicating a lot of my time to learning the language so that I could communicate with those around me, and I had ample opportunity every day to learn it.

With that foundation, studying in BLCU was really a matter of turning my rough-and-tumble, unrefined Dalian-ese into a more standard and formal language. As for studying habits at BLCU, I'll say that the library is a bit overrated. I honestly didn't even know where it was until my 4th year. Language learning is about experiencing and using the language, not reading about it in books.

If you want to do well at BLCU, then take advantage of the incredible faculty there that are all around you! My second-year speaking teacher had more than 30 years' experience! By comparison, my Dawai teacher was a Masters student still 2 years away from graduation. Go to the teachers, ask them questions, they are always so happy to help students with questions they have.

Related: Learn Chinese From The Locals At BLCU

You mention some of the differences between Beijing and Dalian. Notably, you mention that Dalian is a “more liveable city”. What do you say to foreign students who would like to study at BLCU (be it short or long term), but are just so put off by Beijing’s reputation for terrible air quality? I think there are at least some people out there for whom it is a serious concern in choosing a Chinese city to study in. For example, I am asthmatic and I definitely felt the Beijing smog creeping into my lungs day after day. Because of that, it’s not a city I would choose to remain in long term. Any thoughts on this with regards to choosing BLCU in the face of such arguments against it?

I'm a Yorkshireman, so I'm afraid I'll sound rather blunt here, but that's just the way I am. If you want to study Mandarin, the best places for it are all in Northern China, because you get not only good universities like BLCU, but a fully Mandarin-speaking environment (certainly compared to southern China) to practice in. These areas are also ALL the most polluted in China. That's a sad reality, but a reality nonetheless. The fact is, as things are at the moment, you have to make a choice.

Many people whinge and whine about Beijing's pollution, but also insist that they have a right to go somewhere like BLCU – I say DEAL WITH IT. There are solutions to Beijing's polluted life. BLCU is by the NW Fourth Ring Road, with a good Subway link at Wudaokou. I know people who opt to live further away in order to escape pollution as much as possible, and then commute to BLCU each day. I had Russian friends who drove miles and miles to uni every day for the same reason.

Related: BLCU Social #1: Beijing Weather

Most cities in the world have something to contend with. Beijing has its pollution, which sucks. But then again, other countries/cities in the world have high crime rates, astronomical rents, a lack of amenities, a savage legal system that persecutes you for being Gay (for example). People are too quick to forget the MANY advantages and opportunities that living in Beijing presents.

Pollution is NOT a catch-all indictment against the great city of Beijing, it's just one of those things that one deals with by being here. Wearing an effective mask can remove some 90+ percent of those harmful particles, and effective air filtering at home can remove 80+ percent. I work in a school in Beijing where we remove on overage 85% of all harmful particles from the air in our buildings.

I guess the final thing on this would be that no expat is ever forced to stay in Beijing. If you don't wanna stay in the long term, then don't. I can see you are aware of that choice, and are prepared to make it. For that I commend you. Polluted or not – Beijing is home to the finest single institution of Chinese language learning in China, and indeed the world. If you want to go to that university, then you have to be in Beijing. Simple as that. If Beijing isn't for you in the long term, then that's fine. These people are free to go anywhere they want.

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Beijing Language and Culture University Q&A (2014): Olga Razumovskaya

2014-03-16T15:41:00.000+00:00

Olga Razumovskaya

Hello all and thanks for joining us in the first of a new 2014 series of BLCU question and answer (Q&A) sessions. This one is with Olga Razumovskaya, a Russian student currently studying Chinese at the Beijing Language and Culture University. Many thanks to Olga for agreeing to answer the questions below for the benefit of all our readers.

If you would like to appear in this year's BLCU Q&A series (2014), please get in touch with us at theblcublog@gmail.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible. You can also find all the other BLCU Q&A sessions here. Now, let's take a look at what Olga had to share.

Briefly, why did you decide to study at BLCU?

Well, my previous education is closely connected with English, but after I started working I realised that knowing only one foreign language isn't enough. As China nowadays is one of the fastest growing economies, and because of close Russian-Chinese business relations, I decided that it could be useful to know Chinese.

When I'd just started learning Chinese in Russia I already knew that I'd have to go to China to study the language there. My first teacher advised me to go to Wuhan, where she used to study. Compared to Beijing it is much cheaper and offers much more language practice, but as I was going to have to travel alone and my Chinese speaking was far from survival level, I decided to study in Beijing instead.

Another advantage of studying here is the dialect. Even though the Beijing dialect is hard to understand, it's closer to Putonghua (standard Mandarin). As for BLCU, I chose the university because it has a long history of specialising in teaching Chinese to foreigners. Also, it has the best teachers and materials: for example, when I was learning Chinese in Russia we were using books published by BLCU press. I also read a lot of very good feedback about the university.

See also: 7 Study Tips For Success At BLCU and Learning Chinese From The Locals At BLCU

What course did you join?

I'm studying on the non-degree one year course.

What did you do to prepare for BLCU?

As I had to work and didn't have much time to prepare all the papers, I just applied through an agency that did everything for me. I brought my university diploma and passport. The agency also did Chinese visa for me.

Had you been to China before? How did this affect your impressions of BLCU when you arrived?

I hadn't been to China before, but the BLCU campus is not China. Real China starts outside the campus! Actually, it starts outside the Wudaokou area.

See also: An Introduction To Life At BLCU

Did you find it easy to organise everything (accommodation, registration, getting there, etc.)?

Regarding accommodation, I'd heard some people had trouble booking it. But if you make a small pre-payment it almost guarantees that you'll have your room, though it's really hard to get a single room. As the agency in Russia helped me, they were the ones that booked my room -- something like three months in advance, so I had no problem with that.

See also: How To Book Accommodation At BLCU

How is the mix of nationalities and ages among the foreign students there?

Well, the average age is 20-23 years old. Of course there are some younger and older. There are a lot of Koreans, Thais, Americans and Canadians, but most I think are Russian-speakers from places like Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. Of course there are also a lot of Europeans. I also met some people from countries I didn't even know, like New Caledonia and the St. Denis Islands.

Where are you living and how are you finding it?

I live in a single room in Dorm 17. It's great but a little expensive -- around 120RMB per night. The price is about the same as renting a room in an apartment, but I live closer to uni and don't have to deal with paying utilities. It's also safer. I don't have to share a bathroom with other people and it's more fun to live in a dorm.

See also: Dorm 17 (International Student House), BLCU and our Accommodation tagged posts

What sort of budget are you living on at BLCU and is it enough?

Generally it's about 1000RMB a week. During the week I usually spend like 50-70RMB a day (sometimes less, sometimes more). On weekends it's usually more, like if go out in the Wudaokou area, and especially if I go somewhere like Sunlitun.

What great places to eat have you discovered so far?

There is a very authentic Chinese restaurant right behind Dorm 17. It's called 第三食堂. I guess I've seen foreigners there only like 2-3 times. The dishes are very big and the prices are pretty low (about 20-26RMB for a half-kilo of dumplings).

Also, in front of the Chaoshifa (supermarket) next to McDonald's there is a very good noodles place, called something like Western Mahua. I like the Shanxi-style noodles there but don't remember the exact price; something around 20RMB.

On that Chaoshifa corner next to KFC there is a really nice Japanese restaurant (unfortunately I don't know the name). It's not easy to find. A friend of mine showed it to me. There is a drug store in the corner and next to it a small clothing store. Next to that is a dark wooden door, which is the restaurant entrance. The restaurant itself is on the second floor. The food there is good, prices are also not high and usually they have special offers for sushi and rolls (50% off).

See also: 5 Restaurants Near BLCU You Might Not Know About and all our Food tagged posts

What is your advice to people looking to apply to study at BLCU?

I don't really know apart from that early on I needed a little more money than I had expected. This is for things like medical checks, visa extensions, Internet modems, and so on.

See also: Medical Examination At BLCU

How has the culture shock/adjustment been? Any surprises?

The first days were pretty busy so I didn't actually realise that I was even abroad. I think I had culture shock the first time I went to Beijing Zoo: crowds of people, people eating everywhere, and everyone was taking pictures of me (it's kind of annoying).

See also: A Typical Day At BLCU

Do you agree with the weather there?

I kind of like the Beijing weather (if only there was no air pollution -- it's just terrible). It's mostly sunny here, but pretty dry. Everyone was telling me that winter was going to be very cold, but it wasn't that bad actually (generally around 0 degrees Celsius). Of course, it depends on where are you from. My Brazilian friends were freezing and literally hardly survived through the winter!

See also: BLCU Social #1: Beijing Weather

In what ways did you find the BLCU Blog useful in preparing for your trip?

It was very useful. It had answers to not only questions I had, but also to ones I'd never thought about. What I really appreciate is that you write based on your own experience, not just general things that you can find everywhere. You include useful things about daily life.

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Beijing Language and Culture University Video: 1-minute Campus Tour (on a Motorbike!)

2014-03-14T19:45:00.002+00:00

Visit my YouTube channel for more BLCU videos.

If you enjoyed this post, you can subscribe to The BLCU Blog for free updates. You can also follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page. Thank you very much for your support!

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News: Beijing Language and Culture University Student Now Professor of Chinese

2013-08-21T11:33:00.002+01:00

Photo by Zhang Yunbi / China Daily

Here at The BLCU Blog we aim to bring you interesting and relevant news related to the Beijing Language and Culture University, so you don't have to go any further than this blog to know what headlines your favourite Chinese university is making in the global media.

Former BLCU student Misbah Rashid, who is now an assistant professor of the Department of Chinese at the National University of Modern Languages in Islamabad, spoke to China Daily about the growing importance of Mandarin in a report published Monday.

"There is a growing number of Chinese enterprises running businesses here," Rashid told China Daily. "Cross-border trade is thriving there, and Mandarin skills are needed."

She explained: "I spent four years as an undergraduate student at Beijing Language and Culture University and another two years studying for a master's degree at Peking University in Beijing."

Meanwhile, Shameel Farhan, a security officer in Pakistan and student at Rashid's university, said: "You see, China is the fastest growing economy nowadays in every part of life in every field. We are a neighbouring country of China, so we should learn how China developed so quickly."

To read the full China Daily article, click here.

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Beijing Language and Culture University Q&A #4: David

2012-08-14T02:23:00.000+01:00

Image source

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I last put up a new post here at The BLCU Blog, so I figured if I at least put up one of my recent email exchanges with a reader in the form of a Q&A it would be better than nothing.

Obviously now is a busy time for people who are planning to go study Chinese at BLCU because the new term is about to begin. This has been reflected in the number of emails I've been receiving from readers and I'll try my best to get some more Q&As up on the blog. I've been busy with real life things for the past few months.

I just want to take this moment to thank everyone who has been supporting the blog, commenting, liking the Facebook page and spreading the word to friends and family, or on social networks and online communities. Seeing interaction and hearing from readers helps give me motivation to keep adding new content.

And now, let's take a look at today's question and answer, which comes from a reader called David:

"I've just finished my application for the 2013 February class and I'm looking around for places in Wudaokou. Given the subject of this email, you may think I'm looking for something very western or convenient -- I'm not.

I don't want to live on campus, but I don't need much from an apartment. I don't need furniture, air conditioning (though I'd love it), or modern trappings. Really, all I want is a studio with a kitchen.

I know Beijing is changing. Are there a lot of unfurnished studios in the Wudaokou area? I went to the Beijinger and Peking Lettings and most of the apartments I saw were not only outside my price range, but also nicer than I need or want.

Are there any other resources available? Oh, one more thing (and this is why I ask if I have unrealistic expectations), I'm 30 and I've done the roommate thing, and I'm really not interested in splitting a place, even for the financial advantage. Is that the only cheap way to live in Wudaokou?

Thanks for your input. Also, thanks for keeping the blog up even after graduation."

I'm not sure I can be of much help on this accommodation question, as I shared a 4,000 RMB apartment with my girlfriend which we split down the middle (2,000 RMB each per month). It was a studio with kitchen and bathroom, new build and very nice, but clearly too expensive for one person.

The fact that you're already checked the Beijinger and Peking Lettings leaves little for me to suggest. You can, of course, once you get there arrange to view some places with estate agents which may not be visible online. They could also recommend precisely which areas are cheapest, maybe a bit further out from campus but still within cycling distance (pick up a cheap bike!).

You'll definitely need air conditioning during winter and summer (to either make it warmer or cooler), but every place will be fitted with one anyway. Hopefully you also have a radiator, as I'm not sure that all places do (certainly the very cheap ones might not). Accommodation on the BLCU campus does.

As more and more people go to BLCU every year, prices in Wudaokou and the areas around the university are only going to keep rising, not to mentioned prices in Beijing generally going up. Plus, China is still experiencing rapid economic growth which certainly won't help make things any cheaper!

Glad you've found the blog useful, even if I've maybe not been that helpful in this reply! You could ask for further help on Chinese-Forums Beijing section. The guys there know what they're talking about.

"If you don't mind, I have one more question: with what I'm assuming was a good work ethic, how much improvement did you see in your Mandarin during your year there?"

Huge improvement. And it doesn't leave you after you go. Could I have achieved this standard in my own country? Absolutely not.

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Beijing Language and Culture University Social #2: Tablets

2012-06-15T02:03:00.000+01:00

Hi guys and welcome to round 2 of the BLCU Social in which I'm going to chat a little bit about using tablets and apps to assist in your Chinese study. If you didn't already check it out, be sure to have a read through the BLCU Social #1: Beijing Weather.

As I explained in my opening post of the series, I'm going to be using content from around the Internet (mainly via Twitter) that is related to BLCU as a basis for wider discussion on certain topics. The idea is that this is a good way to engage with the online community and others who are at BLCU whilst at the same time keeping content here on The BLCU Blog fresh.

Thanks to Audi Ghozalli (@audighozalli) for inspiring this post by sharing the photo above via Twitter!

I think this is a pretty interesting subject for a lot of readers. The tech world is changing fast and the devices now available are capable of doing so much more than they were a few years ago. Look how the iPad revolutionised the way we do stuff on the go. You no longer need to drag a laptop with you everywhere because you feel the small screen of a smartphone just won't cut it.

If you're going to study Chinese at BLCU and are someone who likes to take thorough notes in class, the idea of taking a tablet to your Mandarin lessons could be quite attractive. Sure, you could just stick to traditional handwritten notes, but if you have a tablet anyway and an array of great apps running on it, why not take full advantage?

Some things you can do with a tablet to aid in your studies at BLCU that may be worthwhile experimenting with are: taking audio recordings of your teaching delivering a dialogue or text; snapping photos of any materials you are using in class that you might want to check out later; using apps that I've already talking about in the post Building Good Study Habits At BLCU such as KTdict-CE and Pleco (for iOS device like the iPhone and iPad) or Hanping Chinese Dictionary (if you're using an Android device like a Samsung or HTC, just as two examples). All three apps are free and available now in Apple's App Store and Google Play store.

Having access to these sort of Chinese-English dictionary apps on your tablet will make life ten times easier! Why? Because translating any other way is ten times slower. Having to flip through a paper dictionary to find your word is going to end up becoming tiresome and maybe even put you off checking, which in turn will have a negative effect on your learning and retention of new or unfamiliar words. After all, building a good vocabulary is one of the most important things when you start out learning Chinese!

Tablets are also great for Chinese learners because they allow you to draw the character on the screen and then search the built-in dictionary for any and all matches. This is particularly useful if you don't know what sound the character makes and can therefore not rely on simple pinyin input. As you can see from the image at the start of this post, the person has written hanyu hen nan (Chinese is very hard). If she wrote the characters like this individually in a dictionary app, she would get information on each of them.

You may be wondering, why don't I just get an electronic dictionary? Well, you can, but now that tablets have developed so much and many models are available relatively cheaply, it just makes far more sense to get a device that can do a whole range of things rather than just being a dictionary. Besides, a good electronic dictionary in Beijing will cost you anywhere between 1000-2000 RMB. For the same price you can get a decent tablet with a 7 or 10-inch screen that can also be used for watching movies, taking pictures and video, and surfing the web. But you don't need me to tell you what tablets can do today!

When I was at BLCU, I was so grateful that I had an iPod Touch (which I'd bought in Hong Kong). I personally used the KTdict-CE, despite Pleco actually getting better reviews and more users. I just preferred the interface and it suited my needs. That is not to say that Pleco might not be better for you. Just use the app that you find easiest and most reliable. All three I've mentioned are fantastic and you won't go wrong with any of them. I also realise that the iPod Touch isn't a tablet, but it was all I had at the time and I'm using it to make a point: I benefited tremendously by having access to dictionary apps from the App Store.

If you're heading off to BLCU next year and are in the market for a tablet device, the upcoming and long-awaited Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1-inch tablet could be perfect for you. It's expected to be released some time this year, though exactly when I'm not sure. What is so useful about it for a Chinese learner, beside the fact that it will be a really high quality device coming from Samsung, is the stylus pen that will come with it (like with the current Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone). This is just perfect for drawing in Chinese characters rather than having to use your finger which can be a bit more clumsy (though still fine!).

So these have been my thoughts on why you might want to consider taking a tablet to BLCU and why it can be so useful. Of course, I've really just scratched the surface of the topic, but I hope it's given you some food for thought. I knot my trusty iPad would make a great study companion if I ever went back to BLCU again!

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think down in the comments. Have you been using a tablet to aid in your Chinese studies? Any tips to share with others?

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Beijing Language and Culture University Q&A #3: Maria

2012-06-11T14:32:00.000+01:00

Thanks fo tuning in to the third BLCU question and answer! If you would like to have your question featured as a post here on The BLCU Blog, please get in touch in the comments section or by email at theblcublog@gmail.com.

As always, I will do my best answer them as soon as possible, though can't promise a set time frame. Usually it should be a day or two, though depending on what is going on in my personal life it may be a little (or a lot) longer!

You can find the previous Q&A posts, including video Q&As done on YouTube, here.

Hello! I'm going to short-term courses in July in BLCU. I'm very glad that I found your blog. It's really useful and interesting. Thank you for sharing all the information. I have a couple questions for you: Can you please tell me where is the nearest subway station?

Thanks for the comments, Maria.

The nearest subway station to BLCU is in Wudaokou, just a ten minute walk from campus. It's actually very convenient. Check out my post on the Beijing subway system for some more information on getting a transport card which can also be used on buses.

To get to the Wudaokou subway station, which is to west of BLCU, take a right out of the south or southwest gate (yes, there are two south gates a few minutes apart) and continue walking in this direction for about five minutes until you come to a crossroad.

On the left you will see the big building known as the U-Centre and ahead of you further along will be a bridge. This is actually the subway bridge. Underneath it there is a railway line and a crossing point with barriers that are lowered when trains pass. You should be able to spot it from quite far away.

You can enter the Wudaokou subway station on either side of the road, though if you stay on the same side as the BLCU campus it is most convenient. There is no need to cross. On your right, before you get there, is a cinema that only shows Chinese films and some restaurants, plus a fairly large car park (if you want an English language cinema you will have to go through to the electronics district that isn't too far from BLCU, though I am not going to go into that in this post).

Does the university offer any trips to the sights of Beijing, or not?

Thanks in advance.

Good question. The short answer is yes.

When I was at BLCU in 2010 there were a variety of trips organised by the university. The two I remember hearing about were to Inner Mongolia and to the Great Wall. I'm sure there were some others too, though I can't remember. I only went on the latter of the two, which went to the Badaling section of the Great Wall. I knew people who went to Inner Mongolia and I think they enjoyed it, though they did say quite a lot of time was spent on buses and trains.

All students should be notified by their teachers regarding upcoming school trips, or at least our class always was. It is also usually the teachers that will keep you updated with events around campus, whether that's demonstrations, talks, or whatever else is going on.

There is an office in Runshaw building (if I remember correctly) where you will go to book and pay for trips. The prices are always dirt cheap, probably as a way to encourage as many people as possible to join. I think to go all the way to the Great Wall, including the coach and entry tickets, was under 100 RMB. Very affordable.

Obviously I can't be sure of what trips will be running in 2012 or 2013, but I imagine they will be similar. There will always be one to the Great Wall, that's for sure. A lot of the Beijing-based sightseeing, however, remains up to students to organise independently.

I've also just remembered that there may have been a school trip down to Xi'an to see the Terracota Army. It would be worth enquiring about as I imagine that would be a good trip.

Hopefully this has given you some more information into school trips and the subway station in Wudakou. If there is anything else please let me know, either in the comments section or by email at theblcublog@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

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