How an Australian masters Chinese
Print Edition
My name is Michael and I am in Year 11. I am from Australia, and I have been studying at Yew Chung International School of Shanghai for nearly five years. I have been studying Chinese for that same amount of time, of course, and I am now in CAL-6. Learning Chinese is a challenge, and throughout my time studying Chinese at YCIS I have had some things to overcome — the first being the four tones. As I only spoke English before I came here, I was unable to correctly pronounce the tones and so many of the Chinese people I spoke with could not understand me. To solve this problem, I spoke more with my Chinese teachers who helped me focus on pronouncing the tones correctly, and our ayi, Xiao Ma, has also helped me at home.
The second area I needed to focus on was reading. At first I did not know many of the characters in the Chinese-only novels I read. My Chinese teachers helped me learn some of the characters that often came up, and this helped widen my vocabulary. They also recommended a few Chinese novels which has helped me as well. Now, Chinese-only novels are easier and easier for me to read, and when there is a character I do not understand, I am able to know what it means from the context.
Giving me the chance to study Chinese at YCIS was one of the main reasons my family decided to come to China, as it is a great opportunity and it will be very useful in my future. I hope that speaking Chinese will also help me get a job in the future, and it has already helped me make some Chinese friends!
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