Hi CMO-ga,
I can tell you from my (10-year) experience as a foreigner in Shanghai that
a. you can learn basic Chinese in one year when you really focus on
learning the language fulltime; there are so many other temptations in
China that are more interesting than learning the language, so very
often it is better to go to a second tier city where life tends to be
rather boring.
Chinese is a language you can use on very different levels. For daily
use four, five months could do. That is enough to order food, tell
taxis where to go to and get bus tickets. Going up to a higher level
might then be a tougher, more frustating struggle, that would easily
take you a few years.
It takes Chinese children eight to nine years to master their
language, where children need two to three years to learn a European
language without the help of a dictionary. But for daily usage, one
year is certainly enough.
b. Unless you really go for further stages in learning the language,
focus on the spoken language is possible, although it makes it easier
to understand the language when you know a bit about how characters
look like and why. Even when you do not want to read a paper, finding
out where the railway station is might be useful. Teachers will
pressure you a bit to start writing too, but you do not have to put
much effort in it.
c. Some of the official programs (see for example the worldlink-site)
in the bigger cities are outrageously expensive (at least a 10,000 USD
tuition for a year and then you still have to pay for your apartment).
Prices would vary quite a lot, depending on where you want to live. In
China "learning Chinese to a foreigner" is actually a major and many
of the universities offer possibilities to learn Chinese. Especially
the teachers' colleges (they have mostly 'Normal' in their name) tend
to be rather good. I have heard very good stories from Kunming in
Yunnan province, because the weather is constantly good and it is very
cheap compared to the bigger cities.
There are literally hundreds of possibilities and I would go for a
university that offers solid information in a place and a price range
you find acceptable.
d. Remember that campuses tend to have many Chinese students and I
have found memories about my exchanges with them. Some have become my
best friends. Apart from the larger cities, most universities do close
their gates around 11 o'clock, so that would be a reason to live
outside. As long as you are paying, it will always be possible to
negotiate your way out.
Remember you need a visa to enter the country. The university you pick
will provide you with an invitation that will allow you to get a
student visa at the Chinese embassy in your country.
Good luck!
Fons
Links:
http://www.worldlinkedu.com/
http://chineseculture.about.com/library/china/blscollege.htm
http://www.edu.cn/HomePage/english/resources/universities/index.shtml |
Request for Answer Clarification by
cmo-ga
on
07 Jul 2004 05:29 PDT
Hi Fons - Thanks for your effort & the many details you were already
able to provide. If you have a bit more info, especially on the
pricing/cost side (questions c & d) I would appreciate that. I assume
an apartment could be anywhere between 200 and 5000 USD per month, but
that's not the kind of answer I am after. I would like to know some
"averages" - also for tuition, cost of living, etc. If they would be
based on, say Beijing, then I could assume that for places like
Kunming the levels would be lower, I assume. Thanks!
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Clarification of Answer by
fons-ga
on
09 Jul 2004 22:24 PDT
Hi CMO,
The problem is that giving averages does not say so much in this
country of rather large extremes. One thing is sure: there is no
problem in spending your money, if you have it and want to get rid of
it. You can get a villa for 5.000 USD per month and dining for 50 USD
per day is also no problem.
You can do it much cheaper, also in the larger cities (and indeed in
Kunming it would even be cheaper). On average my lunch will cost USD 1
and apart from special events dinner about USD 3. I have a 50 m2
apartment for 200 USD per month on a ten minute walk from one of
Shanghai's major subway stations.
Renting is rather cheap thanks to the building boom and on average
costs of living, including transportation are rather affordable.
On tuition you would see similar differences. Bottom line in the large
cities (where the universities know what they can ask) is about 3 to
4,000 USD per year, although it is very easy to spend double that
amount. But then even a private teacher would be cheaper than paying a
tuition fee of 10,000 USD.
Hope this helps; much in China is based on negotiations, certainly
rent. A good way to practise your Chinese. By learning Chinese it is
easier to lower your costs.
Fons
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