{"id":11153,"date":"2022-05-16T01:17:17","date_gmt":"2022-05-16T00:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=11153"},"modified":"2022-08-29T19:49:25","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T18:49:25","slug":"learning-chinese-can-it-be-a-window-for-the-british-to-understand-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/learning-chinese-can-it-be-a-window-for-the-british-to-understand-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning Chinese: Can it be a window for the British to understand China?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">According to a recent report, the UK needs to invest more effort in learning Chinese culture and language. What are the obstacles to developing Mandarin and Chinese Studies in the UK, and what is the power of learning Chinese for individuals and also for promoting UK-China relations?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Lucy gently wrote the last stroke on the paper with a brush, swiped it upwards, then exhaled softly. Two large Chinese characters &#8220;Ni hao&#8221; stood out on the paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat does it mean?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt means Hello,\u201d replied Mandarin teacher Liu Jing, who then read them slowly in Chinese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As 11-year-old Lucy followed the pronunciation and successfully read it out, Liu gave her big applause and congratulated her on a good start to her Chinese learning journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lucy immediately lit up with a smile and said, &#8220;Oh, it&#8217;s amazing!&#8221; \u201cNi hao! Ni hao! Ni hao\u2026\u201d She kept repeating this phrase in her newly unlocked language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"535\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/34235.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11303\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/34235.png 950w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/34235-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/34235-770x434.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/34235-293x165.png 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"535\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/34235.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11303\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/34235.png 950w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/34235-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/34235-770x434.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/34235-293x165.png 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Liu jing, a Chinese Mandarin teacher in Cardiff, believes that learning Mandarin can change the British people&#8217;s perception of China.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It was the Mandarin lesson in the Chepstow School, as a part of the \u201cConfucius Classroom\u201d program for secondary school students to learn Chinese in Cardiff. Having taught Mandarin in the UK for eight years, Liu deeply realized how learning Chinese could change British people\u2019s careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She finds that many of her British students who are proficient in Mandarin tend to gain a greater competitive advantage and have more employment options in the workplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs more and more Chinese go to the workplace in the UK, learning Chinese has far-reaching implications for the younger generation in the UK, as they need to work with Chinese colleagues in the future,\u201d says Liu, now a Chinese tutor in the School of Modern Language at Cardiff University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-plain is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p> As more and more Chinese go to the workplace in the UK, learning Chinese has far-reaching implications for the younger generation in the UK, as they need to work with Chinese colleagues in the future.<\/p><cite>Liu Jing, now a Chinese tutor in the School of Modern Language at Cardiff University<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-293x165.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-1400x788.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-293x165.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture-1400x788.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/institute-of-chinese-language-and-culture.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>More than three-quarters of UK business leaders believe fluency in Mandarin Chinese will give school leavers a career advantage, ,&nbsp;according to a survey commissioned by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thepienews.com\/news\/elt\/pupils-across-uk-celebrate-mandarin-success\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mandarin Excellence Programme.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Liu\u2019s opinion coincides with the growing popularity of learning Chinese in the UK these years. According to <a href=\"http:\/\/en.people.cn\/n3\/2017\/1024\/c90000-9284257.html\">Financial Times<\/a>, an increasing number of people in the UK are starting to take an interest in learning Mandarin. Research released by British Council also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britishcouncil.org\/contact\/press\/uk-parents-mandarin-most-beneficial-non-european-language\">finds<\/a> that UK parents see Mandarin Chinese as the \u2018most beneficial\u2019 non-European language for their children to learn, and a growing number of students take up the language in schools across the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s not just China&#8217;s significance on a global scale that makes Mandarin <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/more-british-children-are-learning-mandarin-chinese-but-an-increase-in-qualified-teachers-is-urgently-needed-103883\">an appealing alternative<\/a> to learning a European language for British people. Many teenagers believe it enables them to explore a brand-new culture and develop a different worldview, and some students who majored in Chinese were particularly resonated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBecoming involved with Chinese language and culture was a personal interest because of the history and arts as well as my awareness of China&#8217;s significance on a global scale.\u201d says Kelsey Mckue, an undergraduate student in Modern Chinese at Cardiff University, \u201cI am pretty much interested in Chinese New Year customs and admire the beauty of calligraphy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222451.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11198\" width=\"768\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222451.jpg 950w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222451-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222451-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222451-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222451.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11198\" width=\"768\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222451.jpg 950w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222451-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222451-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222451-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Many Chinese schools in the UK host a variety of Chinese New Years activities to involve students in this traditional Chinese festival and embrace Chinese culture. The picture shows a trational Chinese New Year custom&#8212;Lion Dance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>However, a recent report by the Higher Education Policy Institute(Hepi) shows concern over the development of Chinese education in the UK education system. It suggests that&nbsp;the UK education system is facing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hepi.ac.uk\/2022\/03\/31\/no-growth-in-chinese-studies-graduates-during-chinas-ascendancy\/\">\u201ca severe national deficit\u201d<\/a> in China&nbsp;literacy and Mandarin speakers as the number of Chinese Studies students has not increased in the past 25 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wang Xuan, Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Cardiff University, believes that the \u201cdeficit\u201d is a lack of intercultural communication. \u201cThe number of Mandarin learners has increased, but there is still a shortage of Chinese Studies students to develop intercultural communication skills,\u201d says she, \u201cIt\u2019s a step further than learning mandarin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Hepi report states that the UK can benefit more from cooperating with the Chinese government and companies if  there are greater trust and more understanding of China, citing the government&#8217;s decision to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/2022\/mar\/31\/teach-uk-students-about-china-to-tackle-knowledge-deficit-say-experts\">remove Huawei from<\/a> the UK network, which was estimated to cost BT \u00a3500m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>They don&#8217;t have enough talent who can do trade and political cooperation with China, many people in the government can only speak Mandarin but cannot understand and work with their Chinese counterparts. <\/p><cite>Wang Xuan, Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Cardiff University<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Wang, not many British universities offer degrees and courses for Chinese Studies, and the lack of teaching resources are important reasons why Chinese studies cannot develop in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMany British universities have cut off many liberal arts majors, not to mention offer Chinese Studies degrees,\u201d says Wang, \u201cFunding for humanities majors has been shrinking, so universities don&#8217;t have enough money to hire professors in Chinese Studies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In British universities, however, some UK-China co-operative Chinese-language education projects  have proved to be beneficial for the development of British students with intercultural communication skills. Cardiff University <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cardiff.ac.uk\/modern-languages\/courses\/undergraduate\/chinese\">has partnered with<\/a> Beijing Normal University to launch a dual degree program in Chinese Studies, which enables students to have a two-year immersive study experience in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222446.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222446.jpg 950w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222446-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222446-770x513.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222446-370x247.jpg 370w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222446-293x195.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222446.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222446.jpg 950w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222446-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222446-770x513.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222446-370x247.jpg 370w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/\u5fae\u4fe1\u56fe\u7247_20220511222446-293x195.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>The first batch students of the dual degree program in Chinese Studies offered jointly by Cardiff University and Beijing Normal University (BNU). The photo was taken in Beijing Normal University in 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As one of the initiators of the project, Wang mentions that these students have two years of study in China based on the real Chinese cultural, working, and learning environment, which could combine theory with practice and naturally cultivate intercultural communication skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nick Ng, a third-year student of the program, visited China&#8217;s historical monuments and cultural sites during his first few months there, an experience he called the best start to his journey of learning Chinese. \u201cNot only could I practice my admittedly rudimentary Chinese language skills in the places I visited, but I was also able to feel a true intimacy with the country and culture,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from the immersive learning in China, Wang believes that studying Chinese in British schools can also help students develop a deep insight into its culture and society which is quite different from the West, and greatly expand their view of this diverse world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe education of today&#8217;s British youth should be based on a worldview of global citizenship,\u201d she says, \u201cTherefore, the British education system should include teaching different civilizations and cultures to students, and Chinese Studies is a typical one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some students think that studying Chinese has changed their perceptions of China and brought them a different insight into China&#8217;s society and current affairs. Joe Davis, a fourth-year student of the program, shares his experiences of studying Chinese modern history, in which he was amazed at how much China has changed since its reform and opening up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThings up here in 1978. Chinese economy and lifestyle have improved massively. So that was an attractive part to study about China is why in recent history have had such amazing growth in their standard of living,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After exploring Chinese culture, Oliver Hassan, the program&#8217;s first-year student, thinks that he can now look at China-related news  more comprehensively as he never takes it for granted that what BBC says is true and also looks at what Chinese media says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"516\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/554.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/554.png 950w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/554-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/554-770x418.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/554-293x159.png 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"516\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/554.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/554.png 950w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/554-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/554-770x418.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/554-293x159.png 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>On the occasion of China&#8217;s National Day, Oliver joined his Chinese classmates in saluting in front of a backdrop of the five-red flags\u3002 He believes that studying Chinese culture is a way to dispel political prejudice against the nation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf an English journalist writes something about China, they mainly understand China from a Western political perspective, but not from a cultural perspective,\u201d he says, \u201cIf you want to understand the case, the cultural aspect is incredibly important. And that is what I have gained from taking my degree.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wang thinks that the first step in improving British people\u2019s intercultural communication skills in Chinese is to develop elementary Chinese education, as a preparatory stage for studying Chinese at university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMany students proficient in Chinese start at primary school level and continue through middle and high school, thus giving them a good foundation in Chinese, and then it is not difficult to go deeper,\u201d she said, adding that this makes them more likely to be Chinese studies students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wales has already put efforts into popularizing Mandarin and elementary Chinese among minors. Cardiff Confucius Institute has launched a school-based Chinese learning program <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cardiff.ac.uk\/confucius-institute\/chinese-in-schools\">\u201cConfucius Classroom\u201d<\/a> which provides Mandarin and Chinese culture courses to 16 primary schools and secondary schools across Wales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"534\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/321.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11302\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/321.png 950w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/321-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/321-770x433.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/321-293x165.png 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/321.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11302\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/321.png 950w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/321-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/321-770x433.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2022\/05\/321-293x165.png 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Jing Liu is teaching Taichi Fan in Sully primary school<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile,  according to Wang, the Chinese-themed seminar, cultural activities, and experiential classes for primary and secondary school students can also inspire students to choose Chinese studies when entering university. \u201cWe regularly visit primary and high schools in Wales and ask international students who have returned from China to share their experiences of studying abroad, which has been very well received by the students,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The growth of Chinese Studies and Mandarin speakers can<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/policy-institute\/assets\/towards-a-uk-strategy-and-policies-for-relations-with-china.pdf\"> play an important role<\/a> in the UK strategy and policies for better relations with China, according to a report from King\u2019s College of London. However, Wang thinks that the two nations\u2019 relations are a topic far more complicated and unpredictable than language itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe UK is a&nbsp;multi-party parliamentary system, so the future of its relationship with China greatly depends on which party and political leader take office. Besides, the international situation also plays a big role,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even so, Wang remains confident in a better prospect for UK-China relations. &#8220;As China&#8217;s global influence grows, the increase of British Mandarin speakers is an irreversible trend,\u201d she said. \u201cThe weathervane turns that direction, so how soon can the boat reach that end depends on the bilateral relations between two nations in trade, education, and other areas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Liu Jing is still dedicated to teaching Chinese languages and culture to the British. Apart from delivering Languages for All courses and Adult courses in the universities, she also plans to teach elementary Chinese to secondary school students in Cardiff next semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than changing the stereotype of British learners about China, she hopes that her classes can help more and more British children to understand the country and love its culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I want to open a window for the British to understand the real China and convey to them the positive side of China, not just what the western media conveys,&#8221; says Liu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left is-style-plain is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>I want to open a window for the British to understand the real China and convey to them the positive side of China, not just what the western media conveys.<\/p><cite>Liu Jing, a Chinese tutor in the School of Modern Language at Cardiff University<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" title=\"Five sentences for Mandarin beginners\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CZH5UzhYDVI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe title=\"Five sentences for Mandarin beginners\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CZH5UzhYDVI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here is a shortcut to basic communication in Mandarin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mandarin has become increasingly popular in the UK. What is the next step in learning Chinese and what impact does it have on the British?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":809,"featured_media":11306,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[320,48,318],"class_list":["post-11153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-cardiffuniversity","tag-culture","tag-language"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Learning Chinese: Can it be a window for the British to understand China? - Life360<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=11153\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Learning Chinese: Can it be a window for the British to understand China? - Life360\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mandarin has become increasingly popular in the UK. 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