Description

The best way to learn a language is to live, eat and breathe it.. Take part in a course at cosmopolitan Yantai University and learn Mandarin Chinese, the language spoken by one-fifth of the world's population.

You can do this course even if you are a complete beginner with no knowledge of Mandarin. If you are advanced level, or have just a little Mandarin, that's fine too.

Yantai, a peninsula in the east of Shandong Province, lies between the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, overlooking Korea and Japan. Yantai is a large and busy port, and the fact that it is seldom visited by foreign tourists makes it an absolutely wonderful place in which to live and study. Our Yantai course is run in association with Yantai University, and is the one for you if you're looking to gain a qualification or University points while studying and living in "real China".

In order to be certain that there will be places available, please apply as soon as possible.

WHY LEARN MANDARIN?
Learning Mandarin will be of benefit to you both during your life in China and afterwards. Within the country, very few people outside the education system speak English, and while travelling around China there are frequent opportunities to strike up conversations with people who are as curious about you as you are about them! Learning Mandarin will enable to you speak with these people, thus enriching your time here immeasurably, as you find out things about the culture and the way of life that someone without language skills simply would not have access to.

On a larger scale, Mandarin is one of the 5 major UN Languages, and is the most widely spoken language in the world. One out of five people in the world speaks Chinese as their native language! China is changing faster than just about any other place on Earth; even a short stay here will demonstrate this fact. The recent entry into the WTO has only accelerated this trend.

In 1997, as the rest of Asia slid into depression, China was forging a path forwards and has continued to develop steadily, embracing world trade in a way that few had predicted. As a result of all this change, it is predicted that China will continue to grow and become a major player in world affairs and business in the coming few years. The ability to speak Mandarin will be of great benefit to anyone hoping to participate in affairs of business or culture on the world stage...

It's also a really fun language to learn, and even more fun to master, as it's so very different to so many Western languages. With Mandarin, not only will you be able to impress the people of China, but probably your family and friends back home too.

Whatever your circumstances, the opportunity to learn more about this ancient and fascinating culture from an insider's perspective is one not to be missed!

ABOUT YOUR COURSE
Yantai University, where the course is based, is located 10 minutes from the city centre by bus. The University area is a vibrant and buzzing part of town, as it is home to a great many students, both Chinese and from elsewhere in the world. The building itself faces long stretches of beach on one side and Shandong's stunning mountainous landscapes on the other. There are many small shops and street stalls, a busy market and a selection of Chinese and Korean restaurants running along the coast. You will live on Yantai University campus and mixing with thousands of Chinese students, as well as students from other parts of the world.

The Mandarin Course for foreign students has been running at Yantai University for 15 years. A typical class size is 25 students, and the teaching staff are professors or lecturers who are accredited and experienced in teaching Mandarin to foreign students. The course is designed to immerse international students in the Chinese language and culture through compulsory classes, conversation with native speakers and optional electives. All areas of the language will be covered in your course: reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar, phonetics and vocabulary. These will be taught via a variety of topics which will relate to aspects of Chinese culture, society and history.

Each semester there are around 100 International Students enrolled on the course at various levels. Many of these students are from Korea and Japan, and there are also often students from the UK, France and the USA. This project will give you the opportunity to meet people from a variety of different cultures; not just from China, but from all over the world!

Some of the courses currently on offer include: Spoken Chinese, Chinese Comprehension (Pinyin, Grammar and Writing), Reading, Chinese Listening Comprehension

Course Length:
You can choose to do a length of course that suits you, i.e.:

* 4 weeks
* 8 weeks
* The full course, which lasts for one semester. In China, a semester will vary between 3 months and 4 and a half months in length.

The minimum course time is 4 weeks. We will discuss your preferred course length with you on application.

Levels of study and course credits:
Classes are available at various levels, so no matter what your level of Mandarin is, there will be a class to suit you. We can offer beginner, elementary, intermediate or advanced classes. Around 50% of the students on the course are Beginners. The University will assess your level of competency in the language when you arrive and will allocate you accordingly. Regardless of how long your course lasts, you will obtain a certificate at the end of your study time.

Each semester you will also obtain around 20 credits, and these can often be credited to your university course in your home country. [If you wish to take advantage of this option, you must check that your university will recognise this qualification before you leave, as it does vary between institutions.

Daily Schedule:
The course takes place from Monday to Friday, running from approximately 8am to 3:40pm. You will have homework in the evenings, in much the same way as you would during a similar course in most countries, and you will be expected to complete this to the deadline set by your teachers. Your weekends will be free and this will allow some time for relaxing, travelling and sightseeing

Why Choose Yantai?

* If you want an intensive course that will give you a real qualification and/or University points
* If you want to live in "Real China", out of the way of Western Influence
* If you can commit to set start and finish dates
* If you'd like to live and mix with students from around Asia and the world in a University environment.