I recently returned from a six-week visit to China. I spent five weeks studying Mandarin at South-West University for Nationalities in Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan Province in South-West China), then took the train across country to Shanghai where I stayed for three days before returning to California.
The main purpose of the trip, as I say, was to learn Mandarin. Or, should I say, begin to learn? Obviously, for a language as complicated and sophisticated as Mandarin (with its five tones and 56,000 characters), all you can hope to do in five weeks is establish a foundation on which to build for the rest of your life. So, yes, I learned about 50 characters (just another 55, 950 to go) and yes, I began to develop an ear for tones (though I'm still rather flat and monotonal in my pronounciation).
Nevertheless, I'm determined to continue the learning process. Every day, I dutifully play back Mandarin tapes and practice character strokes. It's a language that I continue to enjoy and respect despite its difficulties.
The most challenging part of the five-week course in China, for me at least, was the method of teaching. The teacher herself was energetic, creative, and good-humored. However, she was not permitted to express too much of these traits because of "the system." What do I mean by "the system?" It refers to the Confucian ideal of learning by rote memorization and constant repetition ("drilling"). Sentences are written on the board (in Chinese) and the role of the students is to repeat these sentences for the next three hours, until they become implanted in the limbic area of the brain (ready to resurface during your deepest slumber). The role of the teacher, meanwhile, is to correct and cajole (also to assign two hours of homework per night).
But I'm not complaining. It's a system that's worked for thousands of years and I'm not arrogant enough to question the basis of it. True enough, creativity and critical thinking are stifled under this system, but discipline and structure are natural by-products. And as long as the student is willing to go along for the ride, much can be learned from this method of instruction. In fact, I was probably the worst student in my class precisely because I questioned the teacher's methods too much and yearned for more creativity. (Rote memorization and automatic recall are not my favorite activities).
So not only was I exposed to a new and very difficult language for five weeks but I was humbled by being the worst student in my class!! Now, how's that for a productive way to spend the summer!!???
8 comments on China: Part One (Overview)
Add a comment
To add comments without entering your email and image verification, you must be logged in. Login or Join Blogster
I agree with you that Mandarin Chinese is a hard language to learn. I commend you for what you have done thus far. My mind would probably get bored with the teaching style. I need a creative approach, or my mind goes numb. Do not feel bad about being the "worst" student. Had I been there, I might have made you look like a shining star. Anyhow, I am glad that you seem to enjoy you summer---all 50 words of it!!![THUMBUP]
Anyway, your five weeks in China brought all of us more understanding of Chinese language and culture. Thanks for it.
再见[THUMBUP]