Advanced Courses

Join this inspiring place to perfect your advanced Mandarin Chinese skills and deepened your knowledge of Chinese culture

Senior teachers stimulate discussion of important intellectual issues in these small, thought-provoking classes.

NB: This course is for those with at least two years Mandarin language training. (It assumes a current vocabulary of around 1500 Chinese characters and a strong understanding of Chinese grammar).

Advanced courses are divided into four steps

Step 1- The U.S.A. In the People’s Daily published by Princeton University Press. The fourteen selections included in the reader reflect how the USA was depicted in The People’s Daily from 1990 to 1991. These selections are generally critical of American society. The cover four issues: the education crisis, social injustice, human rights violations, and racial discrimination.

The full course runs 2 terms of 12 weeks-each weekly session last 2 hours and is held on weekday evenings.

Step 2- China’s Own Critics published by Princeton University Press. The classes use its thirteen expository essays from the 1920’s to the 1980’s to guide classroom discussion.

Through an appraisal of the intellectual climate at that time, students will not only perfect their language skills, but gain valuable insight and understanding of many political and cultural facets of modern China.

The full course runs for 3 terms of 12 weeks-each weekly session last 2 hours and is held on weekday evenings.

Step 3- China’s Peril and Promise published by Princeton University Press. This is an advanced Chinese reader prepared for students who would like to enhance their understanding of modern China in general, and modern Chinese literature and intellectual history in particular, through reading authentic materials.

The selections which span the twentieth century and include essays, short stories, biographies and criticism.

The full course runs for 3 terms of 12 weeks-each weekly session last 2 hours and is held on weekday evenings.

Step 4-The Manual of China 中国手册

The book is the author of David Su Liqun, the book is a comprehensive introduction about China, which is divided into several chapters, from China’s astronomy, geographical environment, history, humanities and social science for instance like “what is China, what is the Chinese people?” Why is it ? ” What is the difference between Chinese and Westerners? “and so on.

This high advanced course runs to 6 terms.

By the end of the four steps, the leaner’s Chinese level equals to in between 5 to 6, the highest HSK Exam in P.R. China.

How is the course taught?

This is an essential training ground for those students who not only want to sharpen their command of Mandarin but simultaneously wish to understand the very fabric of Chinese society.

This course is taught by a senior level native-speaking teacher in classes of 5-8 students.