As the world has noticed China's potential and its soaring economy, many people are planning to study Chinese. I'm confident to say that people can deal with both Chinese and its culture beyond the ancient history of old China. If you are considering study abroad in China, I really hope that my story in Beijing can be helpful to your decision and preparation.
1) Preparation for Studying Abroad
- Necessities for Studying in China
* Before Immigration: passport, acceptance letter for school, physical checkup, visa procedures, international student¡fls insurance (optional)
* After Immigration: Building a bank account in China, Alien Resident Cards
The things above could be handled by either an academy or yourself. In my case, I couldn't speak Chinese at all, so I prepared all through my academy. But I recommend you that you get ready all those things by yourself if you speak simple Chinese. This preparation period could become your own experience. Besides, before studying abroad, you need to study enough Chinese. For my example, I used to memorize one of my Chinese books, Shingongrak zhongguk-e. I thought it helped my Chinese life a lot. More specifically, the simple sentences which I remembered became a stepping stone for my advanced Chinese, especially in conversation. I don't believe that people will be fluent with Chinese after arriving in China. Before going abroad to China, study Chinese first. Keep in mind that you try to learn as possible as you can as you try.
2) Studying Abroad in China
- A Real Life in China
February, 2008, I went to Beijing Language and Culture University in Beijing. I studied Chinese for six months and I thought I really did my best to learn more about China and Chinese. This is my schedule in China to be a sample for students who plan to study Chinese.
The class processed by Beijing Language and Culture University is based on a first-day test. Through the test, the school divided exchange students into many classes and had a class for about four months. In one class, approximately twenty students were together. In my class, there are many students from each different country such U.S., England, France, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia. Classes totaled four hours a day including an hour each of reading, grammar,listening, and speaking. Beijing Language and Culture University, which I attended, conducts HSK, Hanyu Suiping Kaoshi (The Chinese Proficiency Test); therefore, the classes were focused on HSK. In my own experience, I took extracurricular study in Korean Academy in Beijing. There are many Korean academies which teach Chinese easily to exchange students in Korean, not in Chinese, and also take care of details of students. In the academy I attended, there was a HSK-prep class taught by a famous Korean teacher. If you listen to class in both university and academy and review hard, you can easily get fluent Chinese in a short time. Some people say that study HSK in Korean and study conversation ability in China; however, I think it is possible to study both things at once. As I always had a strong achievement when I got high test score, HSK became a catalyst to study harder and harder.
The reason I really like to go to the university and academy is my Chinese friends. I met lots of Chinese through language exchange, and I love them. And commonly, many Korean and other foreigners paid university students to have private lessons. But I, who was a lucky girl, had two kind and fine Chinese friends by accident and gained lots of beneficial things of Beijing. Also I still keep in touch with them!
3) Tips for Students Who Want to Be in Beijing
If you live in the school dormitory, you could tell a person in charge that you want to share a room with foreigners. It is because that it is better to speak less Korean in China to improve your Chinese skills. If you make a transportation card in Beijing using your student card, you can save a lot of money. You usually waste two yuan for buses and subway, but you shave a tenth of the price for those. With cheap transportation fees, you can visit many sightseeing places in Beijing.
4) The Valuable Time
The sixth months I spent there were really short but it was the most valuable time I have ever had in my whole life. I met lots of people and experiences through studying abroad in Beijing. Also, it affected my life a lot and extended my viewpoints and thoughts toward the world. I went through diverse Chinese cultures like the circus, and Jingju (a traditional Chinese performance) and Chinese historical places like the Great Wall of China, Tian An Men (a main enterance of Zi Jin Cheng), Zi Jin Cheng (a palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasty). Before I became a 中國通, I had no simple, or even superficial knowledge about China; however, I attained many unforgettable experiences and extensive knowledge as well through Beijing life. If you are planning to study abroad, Beijing is the right place to get much big information and beautiful memories in your life. I hope you could get lots of valuable memories in your life.
