Chinese

In 2018, I began studying Mandarin Chinese as my minor at TCU. When I was reviewing the language's structure in high school, I felt that Chinese would be an incredible challenge for my language learning brain. Thus, I decided to declare it as a minor, alongside French and Arabic. Before studying the language, I did not have much interest in the region or culture, however, that quickly changed. I studied up to HSK4 (equivalent of a B2 level) in university through traditional classes, Business Mandarin courses, and film classes. Like many students, I was supposed to study abroad in 2020, but Covid-19 canceled all China-based programs. Since graduating in December of 2021, I have continued studying independently to eventually reach an HSK6 (C2 level) of fluency.

In 2022, I was able to test my Mandarin when I traveled to Taiwan and Hong Kong for one week. While it was not a study abroad program, it still granted me exposure to the language and culture.

Chinese Language Sources

Online:

Chinese Pod
- Cost: $15-$30 per month
- Details: HSK prep, 6 levels, exams included, multitude of content (podcast, coffee chat videos, culture, vocab, dictionary, pronunciation assistance, grammar)
Pleco
- Cost: free
- Chinese dictionary
- Pronunciation assistance
Mango & Duolingo
- Cost: free
- Details: useful phrases, little to no grammar assistance
Anki: study tool (similar to Quizlet)

Books:

A Trip to China ($30-$65)
Learning Mandarin Chinese Characters (volumes 1-2)
Integrated Chinese Simplified: Volume 4, Levels 1-2 + workbook ($32-$68)

Instagrams:

@sabinehuichinese : Chinese language
@stickynote.chinese : Chinese language
@sophoebelous : China travel account
@mahya_polyglot : Chinese learning videos (in Persian)
@zahra.polyglot : Chinese learning videos
@jessesteahouse : Tea & Chinese language

Youtube:

Mahya, Zahra (same as above)
Chinese Class 101
Harbin Mandarin
Yimin Chinese

Podcasts (Spotify)

ChinesePod
Coffee Break Chinese
Melnyks Chinese
Teatime Chinese

Music

The Untamed (Xiao Zhan)
Eric Chou

^^ I need more so please send to me if you have some 🙂

Movies & TV Shows

A Chinese Odyssey (Movie)
Meteor Garden (TV Show)
Put Your Head on my Shoulder (TV Show)
My Unicorn Girl (TV Show)
Arsenal Military Academy (TV Show)
Copycat Killer (TV Show)