Xinhuanet is dead right about one thing, it may be three weeks ago now, but I really am only just getting over my “gasp” at Zhang Ziyi’s dress on the phenomenon that is CCTV’s annual Spring Festival gala, they were just wrong about the reason. Bowled over by the fairy-pinkness of it yes, but the skirt was 3 bloody metres in diameter, hardly practical for such “ordinary girls” as me who need to get on buses and stuff. It’s wider than my bathroom for God’s sake!
Talking of the gala, I’d better get to my lead-in…did anyone see Chinese girl band SHE perform, or more importantly, actually listen? Well, for those of you who didn’t, they played an altered-lyric version of one of their songs 中国话, announcing that 很多外国人学中国话 and not just any old 中国话 but 好优美的中国话.
And, who am I to disagree, being one of them? (a foreigner studying Chinese, I mean)
So as Spring Festival has just breathed its last firework and dumpling breath for 2008, the new term rapidly approaches and all excuses for lethargy are gone, I thought I’d offer a few of my tips for learning Chinese and welcome you to add your own.
one: read COMICS…
A friend gave me this idea and even though I think comics are weird things, they’re great learning tools. They’re full of spuddy characters, short, funny dialogues and can fill in a quick half hour’s gap in the day when you don’t want to feel like you’re actually studying Chinese. I like 阿衰 which you can pick up from those little street kiosks or bookstores for 10RMB a time.
two: listen to the RADIO…
Try Hangzhou based FM996, Monday to Friday nights, 10pm-midnight. Hosted by 万峰 and called 伊甸园. It’s an advice phone-in programme that’s good for a laugh in itself - a few nights ago a concerned father rang in because he thought his 10 year old son’s 小弟弟 was in fact 太小了! Teacher Wanfeng’s condescending diatribe lasted about 10 minutes, as is his want. Beware of calling in to insult him, he’ll broadcast your mobile phone number to his army of loyal listeners, who’ll then bombard you with evil texts.
three: watch a Chinese kung-fu SOAP…
Gross sentimentality, heroes & heroines, dastardly villains, a cast of flying martial arts misfits, overpowering music and wobbly scenery, all hail the 1980s Chinese kung-fu soap genre. I’m currently watching 射雕英雄传, based on one of the most popular kung-fu novels in China. A good tip is to read up a bit on the characters/history in English before you begin, especially if you’re not using English subtitles. For 射雕英雄传 try here.
Bring on the new semester then, I am ready, and to all of us studying this “exquisite” language at whatever stage, in whatever capacity:加油！
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February 25, 2008
5:23 pm
Fantastic tips Tam - have been meaning to start reading Chinese comics for a while now. I think I’m just worried I’ll struggle and lose face
February 27, 2008
2:17 pm
I’ve been meaning to pick up some comic books to help me learn a bit more Chinese. Problem is, my Chinese isn’t good enough to buy any decent ones… they all look a bit stupid for my level. Guess I better study so I can read the good ones soon.
March 5, 2008
12:04 am
[...] you begin (or even if you already have), I’d like to impart a few suggestions on top of what Tam recently contributed. In particular, here are a few pointers in the form of fallacies that you should avoid if you want [...]
March 7, 2008
6:40 pm
A really good comic to look into is 蜡笔小新 (la4 bi3 xiao3 xin1).
It’s originally Japanese but has been entirely translated into Chinese. It’s about a little kid, which is great for many reason. It tends to be fairly simple, he too makes mistakes with the language that turn out funny and it’s good 口语。
Check it out.