Functional Chinese

The Chinese language is one of the oldest and the most beautiful languages in the world. It reflects the five-thousand-year-long civilization of the Chinese nation and hence it has become one of the foreigners’ wishes to learn about Chinese culture through learning and understanding the language.

However，many foreigners become hesitant in face of the complicated structure of Chinese language and some of them even think that Chinese is the most difficult language to learn in the world. As a matter of fact, it is not true since all children can learn their mother tongue unconsciously. The fact is that Chinese is just as easy as any other language in listening and speaking. Thus, “Functional Chinese” emerged five years ago, with the distinct characteristic of emphasizing the cultivation of listening and speaking skills of the students in order to help them grasp basic oral communication skills in the shortest period of time (3-4 weeks).

Functional Chinese takes flexible teaching forms to enable the students to learn the everyday expressions on various occasions and to independently handle the communication problems emerging in daily life, such as booking train and plane tickets, asking for help in traveling, drawing and depositing money in the bank, the exchange between RMB and foreign currency, shopping in Chinese stores and how to communicate with the staff while having health examination. Meanwhile “Function Chinese” includes recreation, Chinese martial arts, Chinese chess, Chinese food and drink and staying in the farmer’s house in the Chinese study so that the students will have a glimpse of various Chinese common knowledge and customs in the course of learning the language. It is of great value to people who travel in various places, to those who like language of different styles and to those who want to have an understanding of the different customs in different places. It is also a good start for foreigners who tend to use Chinese as a tool of communication since it can enhance the interest in learning Chinese and the desire to learn Chinese culture. Since the beginning of 2000, ChinaAgriculturalUniversity has held the functional Chinese program for six times for the American, South Korean and Japanese students with good results.

The Teachers

1. Chinese language: The teachers are mainly from the University of Chinese Language and Culture, PekingNormalUniversity and PekingUniversity.
They are professional teachers in teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language with master’s degree, aged under 30 on average. All have good oral English, rich teaching experience and high level of teaching.
2. Martial arts and Taiji (shadowboxing): The teachers graduated from famous Institute of Physical Education such as Physical Education University of China, normal university of physical education, and other famous P.E. institutions. They have engaged in P.E. teaching for many years, accumulating rich experience of teaching foreign students. They can well communicate in English so the students can discuss problems about Chinese martial arts with the teachers easily. Apart from regular teaching of martial arts and Taiji, the teachers will also organize some warming-up exercises for the students, including games with Chinese characteristics.
3. Chinese chess and I-go: we have teachers from chess associations. They will teach the students basic skills in playing chess and I-go. The teacher can speak English fluently so there won’t be difficult in communication with the students.

The equipment

1. Chinese language: We have advanced multi-media classroom so that the students can have a quick and real understanding of the customs, food and drink, dress and personal adornment, architectural styles as well as Chinese drama, acrobatics, folk arts in different places across the country through film play, picture appreciation and cartoon display and this will certainly enhance the interest in studying Chinese.
2. Martial arts and Taiji（shadowboxing）: Indoor and outdoor teaching grounds are provided, the former being the students activity center while the latter being the playground, basketball and volleyball grounds, and the grassland. The air is fresh and the surroundings are amazing. The students can make their own choices.
3. Chinese Chess and I-go: This is the same to the Chinese teaching. Projectors, electronic display and other multi-media equipments will be used in teaching to make the difficult abstract chess play comparatively easy to understand.

Application qualification

1. Non-Chinese citizen, aged between 18 and 50.
2. Healthy.
3. Graduated at least from middle school.
4. Obeying Chinese law and the rules and regulations of China Agricultural University.
5. With valid visa and full overseas travel insurance.

Programs Offered

I、Long – term program. The aim is mainly to have the students acquire systematic Chinese study, from the study of pinyin to sentence, from simple daily conversation to common communication, until to become an old Chinese hand. The students will come to know more and more about China.

1.Opening time: Spring term or Autumn term each year.
2.Class time: 8: 30am. – 11: 30am.

3.Courses Arrangemen

4.Food and lodging: Student dorms are available on campus with booking well in advance. Otherwise, foreign students can rent apartments outside of CAU campus with the Living Permission issued by Public Security Office of the living area. All students can have meals in the CAU student canteens.

5.Fees

• Application and Registration fee: RMB400 Yuan
  Tuitions: RMB16,000Yuan /year (including material fees)
• Insurance fees: RMB400 Yuan /semi year,RMB600 Yuan/year
• The students have to pay the food, the medicine, and personal activity fees by themselves.
• Group activities
  Group tours are offered once a semester (places of interests and historical sites in and around Beijing, with Chinese interpreter as the guide).A Chinese Holiday is available each semester, and students can go out for tours at their own expense.

5. Fees

• Application and Registration fee: RMB400 Yuan.
• Tuition fee: RMB 4,000 Yuan / 4 weeks; RMB8,000 Yuan / 8 weeks ( Including material fees ).
• Traffic fee: RMB500 Yuan ( including picking up and escorting the airport, and the group tour, but not including the gate tickets of the visiting sites ).
• Accommodation fee: RMB60/person-day (estimated for the moment).we also help foreign student contacting hotel, but need pay Accommodation fees for hotel by oneself.
• Other fees: RMB1, 400 Yuan (Including Chinese Wushu, Taiji, Chinese Chess, I-go, Beijing Opera and acrobatic show, etc.)

6.Means of application

Only group applications (the minimum of 10 persons) are accepted now. Welcome the oversea schools and groups come here for consulting and negotiating. You can also contact with cauie@cau.edu.cn or lotus624@cau.edu.cn by e-mail.

Contact Information:
Address: Office of International Relations (Post Box 184)
China Agricultural University
No. 17, Qinghua Donglu Rd.
Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
E mail:cauie@cau.edu.cn or lotus624@cau.edu.cn
Tel:+86 10 62736915 or +86 10 62736704
Fax:+86 10 62736915 or +86 10 62737704
Web site:http://oir.cau.edu.cn/view_en/ or http://www.functionalchinese.com