Learning Chinese in China, or anywhere else for that matter, is a process both frustrating and rewarding - often within the same lesson. If you do plan to learn Chinese in China, however, rest assured that you’re in the best place possible to meet your goals. Where you decide to take lessons, however, is up to you. This article will explore the pros and cons of studying Chinese at a university or a language school.

A bit about Mandarin

In some ways Mandarin seems like it should be easy, after all, there’s a limited number of sounds (that’s actually one of the hardest things about it,) and there are no conjugations or noun classes. In some ways it’s very simple. Unlike English, for example, which has “chicken”, “pork” and “beef” – Mandarin goes the logical route with literally “chicken meat”, “pig meat” and “cow meat”. Unfortunately, however, as anybody who’s studied Mandarin knows, the sum of the parts adds up to an extremely difficult language full of characters and tones that few foreigners can ever hope to master.

There are several reason why it’s extremely difficult to learn Mandarin on your own. As Mandarin uses characters and isn’t phonetic, it’s entirely possible to speak and understand the language fluently without being able to read or write, and vice versa. You could potentially read a Chinese book but still be unable to order food without pointing.

That said, there are some individuals with enough drive and discipline to learn Chinese pretty well without any formal study. It’s more common for self-taught foreigners to only know how to speak Chinese, but there are a few strange people out there who’ve spent enough years poring over a dictionary that they can read and write Chinese as well as speak it.

But for most of us mere mortals, trying to learn Chinese on your own is probably a pretty bad idea. It takes a huge amount of time, and few of us are capable of getting to grips with the characters, grammar and pronunciation without a whole lot of help.

If you’re wanting to learn Chinese in China there are two main options – enroll on a university language course or take classes at a private language centre. There are pros and cons to both, but the route you choose will ultimately depend on your personality, schedule and habits.

Learning Chinese at a Chinese university 

One big advantage of studying Chinese at a Chinese university is the support you will receive. If you’re not already living in China, a university can offer invaluable assistance when it comes to accommodation and helping with visas. If you are accepted to a long-term program (usually six months to a year), the uni will supply you with the documents you need to acquire a student visa before coming to China.

Although some universities are not as helpful or clear as you might like, they offer dormitories and a certain amount of advice and assistance with things like residency permits and the dreaded health examination.

The biggest complaint students on Chinese university programs have, however, is the fact that they are not legally allowed to take paid work during their studies. Internships are allowed, but the inability to earn while they learn rules the uni option out for many.

Other typical complaints include class sizes, the teaching materials and fees. Classes are usually large (around 20 students), meaning individual attention and speaking opportunities in class are minimal. As a result, the spoken Chinese of university students sometimes suffers.

Also, the Chinese language books come from a small number of university presses, and some are not so great. The books used at the universities are sometimes out of date and the practice conversations can be strange to a modern learner.

The university programs also tend to be significantly more expensive than private language schools and far more rigid in their attendance policies. If you plan to stay up chatting online with friends until 4am every day you’re going to struggle to make that 830am class. In recent years universities in China have become stricter about attendance, and if you miss a certain number of classes (although you can still miss quite a lot) they can potentially cancel your visa and kick you out of the program.

However, one of the advantages of studying Chinese at a university is that the large class sizes give you plenty of opportunity to meet new friends from all over the world. An average university language class in China has around 20 students (at least at the start of the semester) from about 10 different countries. You’ll also of course have a secure setup on arriving in China and a ready-made support system.

Learning Chinese at a private language school

Private language centres in China tend to have much smaller class sizes than the universities. Often students enrolled at universities also take afternoon and evening classes at language centres. This is because the classes boast more specialised offerings, such as more oral Chinese, HSK preparation and business Mandarin classes.

The smaller classes, of course, mean more individual attention, a huge asset if you want to improve grammar and, particularly, tones. You can also take one-on-one classes to really up the ante, but these naturally come at a higher price.

The teachers in China’s private language schools are usually young and qualified but not very experienced. Most come from the same programs that train the university teachers, but the lack of university jobs means many graduates work for language centres instead.

Class times are more flexible at language schools and there are usually options in the evenings and on weekends. The price is also better, but unlike the universities, the language centres do not offer scholarships.

Language centres may be able to help you process a short term visa through an agency, but this too will cost and they don’t have any official sway in this area. You ‘ll also be on your own when it comes to finding housing as language centers don’t have dorms.

In conclusion

In conclusion, many who decide to learn Chinese in China start at the universities as it gives them a more secure passage into the country. Once they’ve acclimated though, some choose to take extra classes at language centers or, when their uni program is over, switch to a language center and take a job alongside. Nowadays, many students work full time and attend classes at night or on weekends.

Ultimately, where you choose to learn will depend on your schedule, whether you want to work or not, and your budget. No matter where you choose to study, however, you will only learn Mandarin if you’re willing to put forth hundreds and hundreds of hours on a long-term continued basis. There’s no program that can teach you if you’re not ready and willing to learn.

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Keywords: learn Chinese in China