Amazing stuff Stu! As you can infer from my name I love to travel and these pictures are just fascinating. China is a place I am still yet to visit however I'm seriously toying with the idea of going there for at least a year in the near future having dabbled in Mandarin recently. Perhaps a years course studying Mandarin or teaching English. Looks like you're having a great time, China must be so interesting to live... keep us posted mate. thanks for the pics again man!
Learning Chinese is a proper pain in the ass and I've all but given up. Sadly I doubt I could ever get my Chinese to a level where it would be useful to me in my life.
I'm also taking a break from China in September, I'm considering coming back but there is a lot of crazy stuff here that can get a little hard to deal with after a while.
Sad to know you're leaving, Stu. And there'll be only two Addicks in China... I've always wondered how you westerners learn Chinese - I can imagine it being an extremely difficult language for you. If I were you, I would definitely give up pretty early on.
Learning Chinese is a proper pain in the ass and I've all but given up. Sadly I doubt I could ever get my Chinese to a level where it would be useful to me in my life.
I'm also taking a break from China in September, I'm considering coming back but there is a lot of crazy stuff here that can get a little hard to deal with after a while.
Why don't you come and teach in Hong Kong? They pay a lot of money and the culture is more westernized.
My plan is to do my CELTA then decide where to go next, Hong Kong isn't an option until I have got that done.
@JessieAddick I have a few friends who are approaching fluency in Chinese, sadly languages have always been hard for me, being tone deaf certainly doesn't help. Especially when asking girls to borrow a pen
My plan is to do my CELTA then decide where to go next, Hong Kong isn't an option until I have got that done.
@JessieAddick I have a few friends who are approaching fluency in Chinese, sadly languages have always been hard for me, being tone deaf certainly doesn't help. Especially when asking girls to borrow a pen
LOL...... It must have taken your friends a huge lot of hard work, determination and devotion to reach that stage.
Sad to know you're leaving, Stu. And there'll be only two Addicks in China... I've always wondered how you westerners learn Chinese - I can imagine it being an extremely difficult language for you. If I were you, I would definitely give up pretty early on.
Not as difficult to do the speaking and listening as some may think. No gender to worry about, no tenses, no silly little words to clutter things up, each syllable representing a word, 'ma' on the end of stuff makes it a question. My theory is that if you memorised 500 words you can live in China, and of course once there you can pick it up more easily. Even the characters can be slowly worked on. We have 26 letters of the alphabet to put together, in Chinese there are about eight most common strokes to put together for the most part. Once you remember western writing relates to a (often imaginary) line underneath, but Chinese characters relate to a (often imaginary) rectangle around them. People say Chinese are magic at Maths, but basic mathematics are inbuilt into the way numbers are spoken and in early mathematics in China, just being able to speak does the maths for you. (Michael Gove is wasting money sending a fact finding mission to China regarding maths teaching, the studies have already been done regarding mandarin and number). My wife has written four textbooks on Mandarin, and insists that pinyin as a half way point is most helpful. Don't anybody be put off learning Mandarin, it isn't anywhere nearly as difficult as you might think.
Nice work Stuart, thanks for sharing those pictures. Really interesting, entertaining stories as well. China seems fascinating, both for its incredible scenery and its unflinching casual racism.
Nice work Stuart, thanks for sharing those pictures. Really interesting, entertaining stories as well. China seems fascinating, both for its incredible scenery and its unflinching casual racism.
As frustrating as it can be at times I'm not sure you can call it casual racism, you have to consider how long China has been closed to foreigners and how much blame the government blamed the western world for their problems.
With the younger generation there is a real fascination with the western world. Most problems I encounter for being a foreigner come from the older people.
Seth I'd agree with what you're saying about the language helping with maths, the same with months and days being easier in Chinese, however I also think the Chinese education system of learning everything by rote and not being allowed any opinion lends itself well to subjects like maths.
Sadly it destroys almost all creativity, it's one of the things I find the hardest about teaching teenagers here, their lives revolve around studying.
Stu agreed. I had a little session once with English students in a school in Xian, and it was the creativity that was lacking. Once the Chinese learn (again) to nurture their creativity they will really start going places.
Sad to know you're leaving, Stu. And there'll be only two Addicks in China... I've always wondered how you westerners learn Chinese - I can imagine it being an extremely difficult language for you. If I were you, I would definitely give up pretty early on.
Not as difficult to do the speaking and listening as some may think. No gender to worry about, no tenses, no silly little words to clutter things up, each syllable representing a word, 'ma' on the end of stuff makes it a question. My theory is that if you memorised 500 words you can live in China, and of course once there you can pick it up more easily. Even the characters can be slowly worked on. We have 26 letters of the alphabet to put together, in Chinese there are about eight most common strokes to put together for the most part. Once you remember western writing relates to a (often imaginary) line underneath, but Chinese characters relate to a (often imaginary) rectangle around them. People say Chinese are magic at Maths, but basic mathematics are inbuilt into the way numbers are spoken and in early mathematics in China, just being able to speak does the maths for you. (Michael Gove is wasting money sending a fact finding mission to China regarding maths teaching, the studies have already been done regarding mandarin and number). My wife has written four textbooks on Mandarin, and insists that pinyin as a half way point is most helpful. Don't anybody be put off learning Mandarin, it isn't anywhere nearly as difficult as you might think.
Truly impressive, Seth. You and your wife must be fluent in Chinese!
I'm off to China tomorrow for a couple of weeks; Beijing, Z'ian, Chengdu, Lhassa, Xinning and Shanghai. I really looking forward to Tibet and leaving Lhasa on the Lhasa Express. I can't say I'm a train lover but the 24 hour journey to Xinning through the Himalayas to the height of 5,000m should be spectacular.
Thanks so much for that. Hubby's health problems do not allow flying so it's brilliant to read about your travels . I for one hope that there will be more travelogues to follow.
Comments
I'm also taking a break from China in September, I'm considering coming back but there is a lot of crazy stuff here that can get a little hard to deal with after a while.
I've always wondered how you westerners learn Chinese - I can imagine it being an extremely difficult language for you. If I were you, I would definitely give up pretty early on.
@JessieAddick I have a few friends who are approaching fluency in Chinese, sadly languages have always been hard for me, being tone deaf certainly doesn't help. Especially when asking girls to borrow a pen
It must have taken your friends a huge lot of hard work, determination and devotion to reach that stage.
My Chinese also stopped progressing when I started dating a girl with fluent English, a lot less practice time.
My theory is that if you memorised 500 words you can live in China, and of course once there you can pick it up more easily.
Even the characters can be slowly worked on. We have 26 letters of the alphabet to put together, in Chinese there are about eight most common strokes to put together for the most part. Once you remember western writing relates to a (often imaginary) line underneath, but Chinese characters relate to a (often imaginary) rectangle around them.
People say Chinese are magic at Maths, but basic mathematics are inbuilt into the way numbers are spoken and in early mathematics in China, just being able to speak does the maths for you.
(Michael Gove is wasting money sending a fact finding mission to China regarding maths teaching, the studies have already been done regarding mandarin and number).
My wife has written four textbooks on Mandarin, and insists that pinyin as a half way point is most helpful.
Don't anybody be put off learning Mandarin, it isn't anywhere nearly as difficult as you might think.
China seems fascinating, both for its incredible scenery and its unflinching casual racism.
With the younger generation there is a real fascination with the western world. Most problems I encounter for being a foreigner come from the older people.
Sadly it destroys almost all creativity, it's one of the things I find the hardest about teaching teenagers here, their lives revolve around studying.
Is there no threat of urban development or pollution in that area? It looks so rural and quiet.