Hey, I thought I might embarrass myself and sing a song on YouTube. I am a bit of a fan of Guang Liang 光良 and thought I would sing one of his songs. Obviously he’s a better singer than me but at least I look cool in my million dollar sunglasses.
Check it out, this songs called 童话 which means fairy tale. Enjoy!
Also, can you guess the movie going on in the background?
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Jackie Chan donates 3 million yuan to victims of China earthquake
Kung Fu master and actor Jackie Chan has generously donated 3 million yuan to victims of the earthquake in Qinghai. That’s around £285k GB or for my American readers $439k USD.
He also donated 1,500 boxes of biscuits, 700 cotton coats and 100 boxes of bottled water. I say good on him, and hope others follow his example.
He also donated 1,500 boxes of biscuits, 700 cotton coats and 100 boxes of bottled water. I say good on him, and hope others follow his example.
Monday, 19 April 2010
Slow Boat to China
Just watched the 10 o’clock news and planes in the UK are still grounded. It doesn’t look like flights won't will be leaving airports anytime soon so I guess the slow boat to China is the only way. Enjoy!
China Earthquake Photos - Now on Google Earth
Hey guys, following on from the earthquake in Qinghai Google have now released photos from their satellites of the destruction the 6.9 earthquake caused last Tuesday. You can even view the images from Google Earth:
Over 17,000 people have been rescued so far from the wreckage but it is estimated 1,700 lives have been claimed by the earthquake.
People in the quake zone have set up basic shelter food and water supply, but it is difficult to get supplies up to them as the area is 4,000 metres above sea level. Many charities such as Oxfam, World Vision and MercyCorps are providing aid to those out there who have lost everything so please dig deep and give what you can.
What to do after Pimsleur Mandarin Chinese 3?
I’ve just answered this very same question on a forum and thought it was defiantly worth mentioning on my blog.
Pimsleur’s Mandarin is a self help audio book and has three levels. Each level has 30 half and hour lessons. Pimsleur was actually one of the first tools I used to start lean Mandarin and although it was slow, quite robotic and very American I feel as though it gave me a good foundation in Mandarin. When I completed level 3 I was quite disappointed that there was nothing else available, so I started searching for alternatives to help me learn Chinese.
My answer? Chinesepod.com. Chinesepod.com produce a Mandarin lesson every day. In fact they currently have around 1,300 lessons so even if they stopped you’ll have a massive archive to go through. Not only that, but you don’t have to worry about the same problem I and many others experienced with Pimsleur and that was them running out of lessons because Chinesepod continue to bring out fresh lessons.
I myself went onto the newbie lessons because I found that there was a huge amount of basic vocabulary missing from my Mandarin pallet. I actually did over 250 lessons as I enjoyed them so much. I’ve just completed around 200 Elementary lessons and am currently making that step between Elemenary and Lower Intermediate.
Also, more and more similar sights are always popping up. I've recently been getting into Chinese101 amognst others. So have a look around and try looking for a subscription service of some sort were you know you aren't going to run out of lessons!
Pimsleur’s Mandarin is a self help audio book and has three levels. Each level has 30 half and hour lessons. Pimsleur was actually one of the first tools I used to start lean Mandarin and although it was slow, quite robotic and very American I feel as though it gave me a good foundation in Mandarin. When I completed level 3 I was quite disappointed that there was nothing else available, so I started searching for alternatives to help me learn Chinese.
My answer? Chinesepod.com. Chinesepod.com produce a Mandarin lesson every day. In fact they currently have around 1,300 lessons so even if they stopped you’ll have a massive archive to go through. Not only that, but you don’t have to worry about the same problem I and many others experienced with Pimsleur and that was them running out of lessons because Chinesepod continue to bring out fresh lessons.
I myself went onto the newbie lessons because I found that there was a huge amount of basic vocabulary missing from my Mandarin pallet. I actually did over 250 lessons as I enjoyed them so much. I’ve just completed around 200 Elementary lessons and am currently making that step between Elemenary and Lower Intermediate.
Also, more and more similar sights are always popping up. I've recently been getting into Chinese101 amognst others. So have a look around and try looking for a subscription service of some sort were you know you aren't going to run out of lessons!
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Labour promise Mandarin to be taught in schools
That’s what Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families had to say. The government are finally catching up and realising the importance and need for Mandarin speakers. If Labour is to win the general election then Mandarin will become compulsory in schools. And there I was being forced to study French when I was in school!
However, there is a shortage of teachers in the UK. Around 500 teachers a year will need to be trained to be able to teach Mandarin. This is great news for those already with some fluency in Mandarin; it could be a perfect opportunity to become a teacher.
The need to speak Chinese is becoming more and more important, I can’t stress it enough. A survey last year showed that 38 percent of employers looking for someone with a foreign language wanted someone who could speak Mandarin or Cantonese.
However, there is a shortage of teachers in the UK. Around 500 teachers a year will need to be trained to be able to teach Mandarin. This is great news for those already with some fluency in Mandarin; it could be a perfect opportunity to become a teacher.
The need to speak Chinese is becoming more and more important, I can’t stress it enough. A survey last year showed that 38 percent of employers looking for someone with a foreign language wanted someone who could speak Mandarin or Cantonese.
Check out the Telegraph for more info
Iceland Volcano Errupts - Holiday makers and businessmen may be stranded in China
Holiday makers and businessmen may be stranded in China if planning of flying back to Europe. Most Chinese air carriers have cancelled flights to Europe due to the high amount of volcanic ash is the atmosphere from a volcano eruption in Iceland. Four days on and there is still no sign of services returning to normal.
If you are stranded try logging onto http://www.airchina.com.cn/ or call 4008100999 for the latest information.
Have a go at practicing your mandarin and ask when you can get a plane to Europe:
我可以什么时候做飞机去欧洲？
wo keyi shenme shihou zuo feiji qu ouzhou?
If you are stranded try logging onto http://www.airchina.com.cn/ or call 4008100999 for the latest information.
Have a go at practicing your mandarin and ask when you can get a plane to Europe:
我可以什么时候做飞机去欧洲？
wo keyi shenme shihou zuo feiji qu ouzhou?
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