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Univercity Education in Chengdu |
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| There are no linguistic standards in Chengdu, the grand
capital of Sichuan. Even the local dialect is riddled with variations.
Chengdu folks take pride in conversing with a non-standard tongue,
making this a city where pure Mandarin Chinese speakers often find
themselves the butt of jokes.
Chengdu's language environment definitely makes studying Putonghua -- standard Mandarin -- a challenge. Devout sinophiles believe exposure to China's dialects -- especially Sichuanhua -- while learning standard Chinese is comparable to walking into a virus lab naked. The strong Zh's, Ch's, and Sh's of Putonghua become infected and degenerate to lazy Z's, C's, and S's. Don't, however, assume that studying in Chengdu will be a linguistic nightmare; there are some superb teachers and programs in Chengdu which provide a strictly Mandarin haven. In fact, all of the instructors in Chengdu are such sticklers they refuse to entertain any queries about the local Sichuan dialect. And you will have queries. Surrounded by over 8 million Sichuanhua speakers, you'll want to learn some of the dialect. According to one student, "you can't help but learn it." It's a tool for unpacking the Sichuan culture, giving you access to colorful conversations with Chengdu cab drivers, the hilarious verbal antics of comedians like Li Boqing, and business partners who are simultaneously poised to develop the West and itching for WTO. Keeping Putonghua and Sichuanhua straight in your mind isn't too difficult and it can even boost your Mandarin skills, especially when fighting with the ever-tricky tones. If nothing else, knowing a little Sichuanhua will deepen your knowledge of China. Fortunately, for the purists, many Chengdu folks can speak Mandarin beautifully. Finding a private Chinese tutor will be easy once the semester begins. They'll come out of your school's woodwork. The current price for a private teacher is between 30-50 RMB/hour. Chengdu sprawls like most Chinese cities. Some schools line the southern main drag, Renmin Nanlu; others are nestled in northern, wooded neighborhoods beyond the First Ring Road; while still others stand as bastions of modern education in the newly developed western zones. Each of these areas has at least one good school, so you have a good selection of locations to choose from. If you're coming to Chengdu to submerge yourself in Chinese culture and would rather not be influenced by a heavy expatriate community, which, in Chengdu, isn't very heavy at all, don't choose a school in the Southern part of town. Most of the non-student expats tend to play in that neck of the woods. But remember, the Wild Goose, High Fly, and Homeward Bound are always there when you need a break, a cold beer, and some good western music. The four flagships of Chengdu language programs are The University of Electronic Sciences and Technology, Sichuan University, The Southwest Jiaotong University, and The Southwest University of Finance and Economics. These four schools are the only ones in Chengdu that have a relationship with the International Professional Resources for China (IPRC), a group which helps people get into language programs in China. One student who used this service said it was laid back and all he really had to do was show up at the school. There is very little difference between the schools' curricula. Writing, extensive reading, listening comprehension, and speaking are the basic building blocks of any Chinese language program. Classes focusing on composition and newspaper reading are introduced at higher levels. Extracurricular activities such as Chinese cooking, calligraphy, and Taiji are also offered. The way these schools differ is their approach to the students. One program dotes on the students, another ignores them, the third sets them free, and the fourth keeps them focused. The baby of these four programs is at The University of Electronic Sciences and Technology, which resides in the poplars of a northeast neighborhood. Two things about this one-year old program stand out. First, the students and teachers have regular discussions about the program to smooth out any bumps. A student told me that the instructors are "always attempting to make the program better, and are very open to new ideas." The second outstanding facet of this program is the amount of care the teachers give their students. With a big grin on her face, one of the four teachers in the program told me every student receives a cake for their birthday. A student bolstered this with, "They bend over backwards for us." I was sure that all those cakes had softened the academic side of the program, but students find the classes to be well planned and the teachers serious. This program will set you back $1300 for a twenty-week semester plus ¥100 a day for a dorm room. Two or three students can split the room, and its fee. The program also features all-expenses paid outings to some Sichuan sites like Leshan's Big Buddha, Zigong's Dinosaur Museum, Emei Shan (Emei Mountain). On the opposite end of the spectrum is the lean, mean metropolitan money machine at Sichuan University -- Chuan Da, as it's generally known. Their expensively published brochures advertise prestige and success. But what's really going on is this: Once you give them your money, your education and how it's managed doesn't mean all that much. Like many language programs, you only get out of it what you put in. They don't hold your hand or buy you birthday cakes at Chuan Da. With over one hundred students from twenty countries, Sichuan University's brightest point may be its social scene. It's also very close to many Southern Chengdu nightspots. But the sheer number of students has made it difficult for the school to keep track of the students' placement and their progress. There are four different levels and two groups per level, one fast and one slow. North of town, just outside the Second Ring Road, lies The Southwest Jiaotong University. With spaceship architecture, the campus oozes modernity. Fortunately, this has seeped into the Chinese language program. Perhaps the most progressive aspect of Jiaoda's program is that students can choose to live on or off campus. Shang Tuo, one of Chinese teachers and native of the Mandarin-speaking Northeast, now works at this school. Her wit and humor make her classes more relaxed -- and more suitable for the Western palate -- but she balances this with a strong teacher's sense of discipline and hard work. Even with all of these strong points, students expressed some dissatisfaction with Jiaoda's bureaucracy. Perhaps the leaders make up for that by helping the students pay for trips to places like Jiuzhaigou and Xi'an. Fork over $700 per seventeen week semester and another $8/day for a room. The Southwest University of Finance and Economics is one of the most beautiful campuses. Yuccas, willows, and zinnias garnish this vast campus. Money has obviously been thrown around here -- demonstrated most recently by the brand new arena and indoor sports complex. Even the Overseas Students Office is located in a brand-spanking new, on-campus hotel (rooms are available for students at $10/day.) The money, though, hasn't gone to the leader's heads or triggered a massive, foreign student recruiting campaign. The program remains small with less than twenty students and eight teachers. Director Deng Shizhong is familiar with all of the students and can speak about their progress and their abilities. Director Deng embodies this diehard approach to learning Mandarin. He demanded we speak to each other in Mandarin. The integrity continues: The number of teachers from this school who have studied abroad is the highest in Chengdu. Located west of the city in a developing area, this school is an oasis, far from the adolescent behavior of other Chengdu expats. Shell out $750 for a semester and $1,500 for the year. There are three kinds of rooms, one for the price mentioned above, $6 and $4/day. The Southwest Minority Institute is sporting a new foreign student complex if you're interested in comfortable, clean housing. For the Mandarin speaking folks from other areas such as Macao, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, The Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine offers enrollment in their courses. Their Chinese language program will sprout sometime soon. Sichuan Normal University, the program is well established and the instructors have significant experience teaching foreign students. The best and the worst thing about this program is its distance from the city. The campus is quiet and close to the countryside, but there's little nightlife in the area besides barbecue and karaoke. Finally,
The West China University of Medical Science also has one of the most
beautiful campuses. Established in 1910 by a group of
missionaries, the classic architecture, though refaced with garish
paint, still stands. Most of the foreign exchange at this school
revolves around the study of medicine, but there is a Chinese language
program. If you excel in their program you can take a class on
gastrointestinal tumors. They have a great location in the southern part
of the city and dynamite tennis courts. |
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