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Because Shanghai is one of the world’s busiest ports, it has turn out to be the greatest freight vent worldwide then. Shanghai’s up-to-date way of life has attracted a lot of expats to come and study Chinese, in addition to lots of international companies to possess a headquarter workplace in Shanghai. This westernised and modern city is one of China’s the majority of vital cultural, economic, business, industrial centers.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) was founded around 1896, now located as one of the earliest and most important college in China. SJTU has greater than one 1000 teachers, with over 100 of them being well-known researchers and specialists. SJTU has over 40 thousand full time signed up students, and a vast number of programs to select from. The Ministry of Education and the Shanghai Government collectively operates SJTU.

Beijing getting the cultural, political and educational heart, and the source of the ” formal language” -Mandarin of China, is the most advised location to study Mandarin. Following are the top 3 colleges in Beijing.

1. Beijing Language & Culture University (BLCU) was built in 1962, and has the longest background of specialising in instructing Mandarin and Chinese culture to foreigners. You will find foreigners based on over 150 countries studying Mandarin at BLCU, and nowadays it has greater than 900 full time training teachers.

2. Tsinghua University (THU), established since 1911, has a reputation of the most Chinese universities placing Tsinghua as the highest ranking university in China. Their promising motto “Self-discipline and Social Commitment” explains it all. The most common course taken here are their accounting courses, by reason of signed agreements with ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).

3. Fudan University, established in 1905 “is one of the earliest primary, co-educational, and most selective universities in the People’s Republic of China.” Fudan University ranked highest in their physical and social sciences.

Guangzhou is the third most populous city in China. Because of manual work expenses growing in Hong Kong, this has opened doors for Guangzhou –a lot more producers have started out new factories here. This has driven Guangzhou to be one of China’s richest cities, but it also appeal to farmers entering the city searching for manufacture job. You can get 2 well-known universities in Guangzhou, the Sun Yat-sen University, and Jinan University (JNU).

Usually in universities, the teacher to student ratio for studying Chinese lessons is usually 1:20. There are short term and long term courses to choose from. The short term courses usually last for up to1 semester (around 4 months). The long term courses usually last for 1 year to 2 years (2 to 4 semesters). All short term and long term courses/programs usually start at the end of February (after Chinese New Year) till mid-July, and the fall semesters usually start in early September, and end in mid-January.

zhù fú

祝福

péng yǒu  wǒ yǒng yuǎn zhù fú nǐ

朋友 我永远祝福你

péng yǒu  wǒ yǒng yuǎn zhù fú nǐ

朋友 我永远祝福你

ā

啊

péng yǒu  wǒ yǒng yuǎn zhù fú nǐ

朋友 我永远祝福你

bú yào wèn

不要问

bú yào shuō

不要说

yī qiē jìn zài bú yán zhōng

一切尽在不言中

zhè yī kè

这一刻

wēi zhe zhú guāng

偎着烛光

ràng wǒ men jìng jìng dì dù guò

让我们静静地度过

mò huī shǒu

莫挥手

mò huí tóu

莫回头

dāng wǒ chàng qǐ zhè shǒu gē

当我唱起这首歌

pà zhī pà

怕只怕

lèi shuǐ qīng qīng dì huá luò

泪水轻轻地滑落

yuàn xīn zhōng

愿心中

yǒng yuǎn liú zhe wǒ de xiào róng

永远留着我的笑容

bàn nǐ zǒu guò měi yī gè chūn xià qiū dōng

伴你走过每一个春夏秋冬

jǐ xǔ chóu

几许愁

jǐ xǔ yōu

几许忧

rén shēng nán miǎn kǔ yǔ tòng

人生难免苦与痛

shī qù guò

失去过

cái néng zhēn zhèng dǒng dé qù zhēn xī hé yōng yǒu

才能真正懂得去珍惜和拥有

qíng nán shě

情难舍

rén nán liú

人难留

jīn cháo yī bié gè xī dōng

今朝一别各西东

lěng hé rè

冷和热

diǎn diǎn dī dī zài xīn tóu

点点滴滴在心头

yuàn xīn zhōng

愿心中

yǒng yuǎn liú zhe wǒ de xiào róng

永远留着我的笑容

bàn nǐ zǒu guò měi yī gè chūn xià qiū dōng

伴你走过每一个春夏秋冬

shāng lí bié

伤离别

lí bié suī rán zài yǎn qián

离别虽然在眼前

shuō zài jiàn

说再见

zài jiàn bú huì tài yáo yuǎn

再见不会太遥远

ruò yǒu yuán

若有缘

yǒu yuán jiù néng qī dài míng tiān

有缘就能期待明天

nǐ hé wǒ zhòng féng zài càn làn de jì jiē

你和我重逢在灿烂的季节

Jacky Cheung – If I could – English

Translation of Chinese song “祝福” lyric

If I could

My love, you’re always in my heart

my love you’re always in my heart

Ah, my love you’re always in my heart

if I could have it all

I would choose to have your love

Don’t you know how my heart stars jumping when I see you smile

No matter where you go

I’ll be there right by your side

holding you in my arms so tightly

Take my hand

and look right into my eyes,dear

You will see that you will meant to be my love

If I could live my life the way I would like to be

I know how I like to spend my whole life just holding you with me

I won’t change any day

I won’t change a single day

My love will always be waiting right here

Take my hand

and look right in to my eyes, dear.

You will see that you will meant to be my love

I’ll be there, I’ll be there when you need me

I’ll be there, I’ll be there my love you’ll see

Don’t you know, my love for you lasts forever

You will always be there in my heart for me

I’ll be there, I’ll be there when you need me

I’ll be there, I’ll be there my love you’ll see

Don’t you know, my love for you lasts forever

You will always be there in my heart for me

Don’t you know, my love for you lasts forever

You will always be there in my heart for me

If I could live my life the way I would like to be

I know how I like to spend my whole life just holding you with me

I won’t change any way, I won’t change a single day

Take my hand,

look in my eyes

you will see that you are only my love

Then my tutor just starts talking for like a long time, and i write down the things that I don’t understand that she said. She tells me how to spell it in pinyin and what tones to put on it.

We practice whole sentences as much as possible. the conversation changes based on what i need. One class period we went to the city science and tech market and bought clothes and i just tried to pick up all i could of what she was saying.

When i go home i spend a little time looking over what i wrote and i try to use the vocabulary.

It’s not any real special method, but it was better than sitting and learning useless vocab like “actor” or “blue jeans” I think good language learning should be able to give you something that you can use that day, not some nebulous time in the future

By the way, this method is really great for getting good very fast, i call it SURVIVAL MANDARIN CHINESE.

When i first met my tutor, she did what all tutors do, wanted to go over the pinyin alphabet forever, and then wanted to teach me 15 nouns about stuff i don’t often use, like careers talk, so the words were like “doctor” and “actor”

In reality, will that help me? No. I need to learn how to communicate where i want to go when i get into a cab. I need to be able to learn to order food to go. I need to be able to ask my apartment manager about the broken shower.

How best to do this? Just start talking. Maybe this works for me because i had a base of a few phrases and words already. When i want to say something i cant say, let me try to figure out how to say it. When i get it wrong, my tutor tells me how a Chinese person would say it and i write it down in pinyin. When i get tired of that i just listen to her speak, when i hear something i don’t understand, we write it down in pinyin.

Trust me, language is about everyday usage, daily practice and survival, not about amassing a long list of nouns you will not use often, like “actor” or “blue jeans”. If you aren’t walking away with something written down that you can use that day, then it is a waste of money.

Conversational Chinese is designed for the beginner with absolutely no background in Chinese who wants to have simple conversations in Chinese, up to the advanced learner who wants to be able to speak like a native Chinese.

If you have ever dreamed of learning conversational Chinese, visiting China or Taiwan, or understanding more about Chinese culture now is the time to do it! Of course, the best reason to learn conversational Chinese in the year of the Tiger is that despite all of the benefits and opportunities that speaking Chinese brings, hardly anyone is willing to take the plunge and learn conversational Chinese.

Conversational Chinese may be spoken fluently at a rapid speed when the right words and phrases are mastered early. Try to focus on action verbs with plenty of common nouns to finish the phrases. This will allow you to interchange the meaning of your sentences and quickly build a vibrant vocabulary.

To compliment an academic approach to learning conversational Chinese fast, try to supplement your program with as much audio from native speakers as possible. You may wish to check with your local cable company for foreign films and television stations that are spoken in Chinese. Comprehension comes quickly when studying and hearing the new language in a non-academic forum.If you are confused could not find a native Chinese teacher ,why not try to online Chinese school.It is convenient to learn Chinese at home.

There is no secret to learning conversational Chinese. It’s actually very simple. If you’re willing to dive into speaking a foreign language you will be able to acquire it very easily. Think about the way that children learn languages. They do not learn by memorization, by reading books about grammar, or by buying expensive dictionaries. They learn by speaking. Children learn languages quickly because they are not afraid to put what they learn into practice.

In addition, you may wish to purchase music sung in Chinese to test your comprehension and pick up a few new phrases. Without even trying, the added exposure to Chinese will open your vocabulary in a stress-free and natural way. Sing along with the artist, whether you understand the words or not, and this will train your mouth and throat for tiny muscle formations necessary to accommodate the Chinese language with rapid fire fluency.

The key to mastering any new language is consistency, so be sure to do something every day to expand and retain your vocabulary. You may choose a few flashcards for learning new words, or perhaps just listen to native speakers. And once your fluency begins to kick in, learning new words and phrases gets easier every time. With a little discipline and valiant effort from the start, you will be speaking Chinese like a native in no time.

Only a few days, we will enjoy the Chinese Spring festival with family and friends.I believe you have to say something for the coming year. Here are some common options with rough English translations for greeting Chinese in Tiger Year.

Nǐ 你 and nín 您 can be interchanged depending how formal you want to be. And you may or may not need a”zhù nǐ/nín” 祝你/您 (“wishing you”) before each of these.

Year of the Tiger Messages

1. hǔ nián kuàilè 虎 年快乐 = Happy Year of the Tiger
2. hǔ nián jíxiáng 虎 年吉祥 = Have a lucky Year of the Tiger
3. hǔ nián xíng dà yùn 虎 年行大运 = May the Year of the Tiger bring you great luck
4. xīhǔ zhù nín hǔ nián wàng 犀 虎祝您虎年旺 = May the rhinoceros-tiger bring you a prosperous Year of the Tiger*

Standard New Year’s Greetings

1. dà jí dà lì 大 吉大利 = Good luck and good profit (see also New Year’s puns)
2. gōnghè xīnxǐ 恭 贺新喜 = Happy New Year
3. gōngxǐ fācái 恭 喜发财 = get rich
4. guò nián hǎo 过 年好 = Happy New Year
5. jiā hé wàn shì xīng 家 和万事兴 = If the family lives in harmony, all affairs will prosper
6. niánnián gāoshēng 年 年高升 = get a promotion every year
7. shēntǐ jiànkāng 身 体健康 = have good health
8. shìshì rúyì 事 事如意 = everything go according to your wishes
9. shìshì shùnlì 事 事順利 = everything go smoothly
10. wànshì rúyì 万 事如意 = all your wishes come true
11. xīnnián kuàilè 新 年快乐 = Happy New Year
12. xīn xiǎng shì chéng = wishes come true
13. xiàokǒu chángkāi 笑 口常开 = always smile

Heart Marathon

Sheila also gave me this as an example of a longer message friends might send to each other. This one features the character for “heart” at the end of every line:

hǔ nián zhùyuàn nín: gōngzuò shūxīn, xīnshuǐ héxīn, bèiwō nuǎnxīn, péngyou zhīxīn, àirén tóngxīn, yíqiè shùnxīn, yǒngyuǎn kāixīn, shìshì chènxīn
虎 年祝愿您：工作舒心，薪水合心，被窝暖心，朋友知心，爱人同心，一切顺心，永远开心，事事称心！

Here’s the breakdown:

hǔ nián zhùyuàn nín 虎 年祝愿您… = this Year of the Tiger I wish you…

• gōngzuò shūxīn 工 作舒心 = comfortable work
• xīnshuǐ héxīn 薪 水合心 = suitable salary
• bèiwō nuǎn xīn 被 窝暖心 = warm-hearted bed
• péngyou zhīxīn 朋 友知心 = caring friends
• àirén tóngxīn 爱 人同心 = harmonious marriage
• yíqiè shùnxīn 一 切顺心 = happy everything
• yǒngyuǎn kāixīn 永 远开心 = eternal happiness
• shìshì chènxīn 事 事称心 = everything satisfactory

Anyone else know any other standard New Year’s greetings we can send as text messages? Do share.

*Apparently there are five kinds of tigers in traditional Chinese lore. Here’s Sheila’s explanation:

五 虎给你来拜年，犀虎祝您虎年旺，奶虎愿您体健康，黄虎为您送事业，水虎给您保平安，犛虎伴您游天下。

I think I’ll save a more in-depth look at that (and pinyin transcription) for a later post, unless someone else would like to explicate that and give me the link. That would be even better!

Lying on the estuary of Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River, Shanghai is regarded as the economic capital in mainland China. It’s one of the most developed cities in China. Besides its leading role of economic development, Shanghai also serves as an important cultural, financial, trading and industrial center of China.  Due to economic reforms taken place since 1992, Shanghai has now become one of the leading cities in East Asia.

Once compared to Paris in the 1930s, Shanghai nowadays is more like New York City. Arriving in Shanghai, immediately, you will be overwhelmed by all the crowds, automobiles, malls and skyscrapers. As the largest city in mainland china in terms of population (18 million) and density (2,945/kmq), Shanghai is a booming melting pot of East and West.

Climate Of Shanghai

The most comfortable seasons in Shanghai are from March to early June and from September to November. The “Plum Flower Rain” season (frequent light rain) is from mid-June to early July. Always take an umbrella with you even if it’s not raining for the moment. July and August are extremely hot and humid, with temperature always above 30°C and sometimes as high as 40°C. September remains hot, yet quite cool at night. In winter, it usually snows lightly for 1 or 2 days and the temperature mostly stays above 0°C.

Clothing Of Shanghai

In summer (June to August): cool cotton garments and a light windbreaker or raincoat in case of rain.  Good walking shoes are essential at any time of year.

Time Of Shanghai

UTC+8 / GMT+8

Shanghai Language

Mandarin is the standard spoken language in China. To make life even more difficult, locals also speak the Shanghai dialect, or Shanghainese, which sounds very different from Mandarin. English is not yet widely understood by locals – your best bet is to speak to someone young if you need help, as their English tends to be better than older people.

Currency / Methods of Payment

The Chinese currency is Renminbi (People’s Currency) and is abbreviated as CNY or also RMB. The basic unit is Yuan.

• 10 Fen  =  1 Jiao
• 10 Jiao = 1 Yuan
• 100 Fen = 1 Yuan

Visa, Master Card, American Express, Diner’s Club, Federal Card, Million Card, and JCB credit cards are accepted at most hotels and state run shops in the major cities. Travelers should be prepared to pay in Yuan when shopping in smaller shops, at restaurants, or at smaller hotels.

2010 World Expo In Shanghai

China will be a great event to explore the full potentials of urban life; it will be centered on innovation and interaction; it will also offer a wonderful opportunity for cross-culture dialogues.There is no doubt the Chinese people will present to the world a successful, splendid and unforgettable exposition.

It’s easy to get motivated to do something you enjoy. The trick is to learn how to self-motivate to accomplish the things that involve practice that you don’t enjoy. Follow these Top Ten Tips to increase motivation and to set goals that are truly achievable for Chinese learning.
1. Define your Chinese learning goal. You’ve got to clearly understand where you want to end up before you begin any journey. Set goals that are realistic and specific.

2. Don’t try to gain every Chinese learning point at once. Limit your goals to follow a one-at-a-time model. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

3. Make your Chinese learning goals public. Tell those close to you what your Chinese learning goal is and that you want their feedback and support as you work toward your set goals. Ask them to ask about your progress.

4. Break down your Chinese learning goal into manageable mini-goals. Get expert help in how to organize your plan to achieve success.

5. Set personal rewards for achieving each of your mini-goals. Behavioralists are right—positive reinforcement stimulates sustained effort.

6. Start small, but start. Starting small can produce big results. Even the longest journey begins with a single step, but you have to take that step. Start by spending just ten minutes extra each day, working toward your set goals.

7. Practice correctly. More golf swings do not improve a golf game. Expert advice and coaching makes a difference.

8. Practice consistently but don’t over-do. Limit practice to avoid burn-out. An object in motion tends to stay in motion. So keep moving to accomplish your set goals.

9. Avoid procrastination. An object at rest tends to stay at rest. Make consistent effort a habitual practice. However, if you miss practice, forgive yourself and then start again.

10. Evaluate your progress toward your set goals and be flexible. What is working and what needs adjustment? Do the set goals or practice need refinement? Get expert, or at least, objective help to properly evaluate.

Therefore, enjoy your reading of the best Confucius quotes!

Confucius Quotes – Chapter I (学而篇-xue er pian)

• 学而时习之、不亦说乎。有朋自远方来、不亦乐乎。人不知而不愠、不亦君子乎。（xué ér shí xí zhī 、bú yì shuō hū 。yǒu péng zì yuǎn fāng lái 、bú yì lè hū 。rén bú zhī ér bú yùn 、bú yì jun1 zǐ hū 。）
  • Isn’t it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned? Isn’t it also great when friends visit from distant places? If you do not know and do not question, can you be called a noble man?

• 巧言令色、鲜矣仁。（qiǎo yán lìng sè 、xiān yǐ rén）
  • Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue.
  • Variant Someone who is a clever speaker and maintains a ‘too-smiley’ face is seldom considered a humane person.

• 不患人之不己知，患不知人也。（bú huàn rén zhī bú jǐ zhī ，huàn bú zhī rén yě）

  I am not bothered by the fact that I am unknown. I am bothered when I do not know others.

• 主忠信。毋友不如己者。过，则勿惮改。（zhǔ zhōng xìn 。wú yǒu bú rú jǐ zhě 。guò ，zé wù dàn gǎi）
  • Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Then no friends would not be like yourself (all friends would be as loyal as yourself). If you make a mistake, do not be afraid to correct it.

• 道千乘之国，敬事而信，节用而爱人，使民以时。（dào qiān chéng zhī guó ，jìng shì ér xìn ，jiē yòng ér ài rén ，shǐ mín yǐ shí）
  • If you would govern a state of a thousand chariots (a small-to-middle-size state), you must pay strict attention to business, be true to your word, be economical in expenditure and love the people. You should use them according to the seasons(i.e. You should not enlist farmers during seeding or harvest time).

• 君子食无求饱，居无求安，敏于事而慎于言，就有道而正焉，可谓好学也已。（jun1 zǐ shí wú qiú bǎo ，jū wú qiú ān ，mǐn yú shì ér shèn yú yán ，jiù yǒu dào ér zhèng yān ，kě wèi hǎo xué yě yǐ）
  • When the Superior Man eats he does not try to stuff himself; at rest he does not seek perfect comfort; he is diligent in his work and careful in speech. He avails himself to people of the Tao and thereby corrects himself. This is the kind of person of whom you can say, “he loves learning.”

Confucius