Jenny Zhu

Archive for the ‘learning with ChinesePod’ Category

Drinking Culture in China

The two weeks leading up to Chinese New Year are marked by excessive feasting and drinking between colleagues and friends in China. It is an important social duty that puts one’s drinking ability into serious test. I was at such a dinner recently where a friend was barely holding his liquor, but insisted on drinking until he collapsed. He even proudly announced that his body can collapse, but his dignity can’t. This is the essence of China’s drinking culture.

Destructive drinking isn’t really a college thing here as it is an indispensable social ritual among mature, grown up men. They drink not for the thrill of getting wasted, but to show that they are trustworthy and upright. Yes, drinking excessively is a respectable quality here. We have this word 酒品/jiu3pin3, which combines the word for alcohol/酒/jiu3 and the word for personal integrity/人品/ren2pin3. The result is a concept which glorifies drinking and associates it with one’s dignity.

Business dinners in China are the most prominent display of our die-hard drinking culture. Even if you can’t drink, you need to drink to give your business partner face and respect, and also to show him that you are honest and trustworthy by putting your life on the line and drinking more than you are capable of. It’s not uncommon to find people whose entire career is built on their ability to drink. But of course not everyone in China abides by the same rule. The drinking culture in Shanghai for example is a lot more moderate. But that’s also why people from Shanghai are often the subject of ridicule at dinner tables.

Mobile Learning: What’s the Deal?

For the past 2 years, ChinesePod and our parent company Praxis Language have set out to become the leader in the filed of mobile learning, i.e. providing learning solutions that can be used on mobile devices on the go. We have been building a Mobile Learning Network which includes products for individual learners (e.g. ChinesePod), for corporate learning (e.g. Wuxian Ketang and for schools and groups of students (e.g. Openlanguage). But why? I will be the first to admit that I didn’t get it at first and not everyone in our company understands the essence of it.

But I had an epiphany recently as we were preparing to launch ChinesePod School to offer face-to-face Chinese classes in Shanghai. During copy meetings, we thought about how to conceptualize our tech edge to the learner. And we started writing long paragraphs about how cutting-edge our Mobile Learning Network is. But that only muddled the message. The key question here is what a learner gets out of the technology. Then it hit me that we were getting too tangled in the technology itself and forgot why we used it in the first place. And it’s based on one simple idea: fit the learning into the learner’s life. We didn’t develop ChinesePod iPhone and Android apps because they are cool and cutting-edge. It’s the other way around, because people are already using these phones and other forms of technology which have ultimately changed the way we work, communicate and entertain. So is the way we learn. But learning has often been slow to adapt to these changes. We still largely see learning as going to a class, reading a book and listening to a teacher. It’s not that different from how people learned in the age of Confucius. Of course, there is irreplaceable value in the practice but learning especially adult learning needs to take new forms that respond to the changing demands in our lives.

So that’s why ChinesePod and Praxis have been focused on mobile learning. And we hope our products (like the best examples of technology) empower you to learn without you having to think about the tech infrastructure. At the end of the day, technology is plumbing. Learning is the goal.

ChinesePod School Coming Soon to Shanghai

Despite being a web and mobile tool based learning solution, ChinesePod has always understood the importance of physical class in learning Chinese. Over time, many Poddies have requested us to add the class component to our offering. That’s why I am extremely excited to announce that ChinesePod will start classes in Shanghai in fall. It will work in conjunction with our current service to provide a much more streamlined and efficient option in learning Chinese. The podcasts, vocabulary and online exercises provide you with input, while the physical class gives you the essential structure, practice, motivation and discipline. We will kickoff with an intensive ‘newbie boot camp’, small group classes where the ChinesePod teacher helps you lay a solid ground in learning Chinese. Of course, it is all done in true ChinesePod spirit, i.e. practical, engaging and effective. I am heading the project and will be spending a lot of time in the class with Poddies.

Now, I’d heartily appreciate it If you could answer this simple question:

What do you want the ChinesePod class to offer?

Thank you and look forward to seeing you!

China’s Ethnic Policies

Ethnic tensions brewing for decades culminated in bloody riots recently. I came across a good article in Singapore’s major Chinese paper 联合早报 (Lianhe Morning Post) which provided some good assessment of the very complex issue. The article addresses a key problem as laid out in the title ‘the most generous ethnic policy in China results in clash’. Generous indeed. This is the essence and problem of the policy. Xin/jiang has received many favorable policies in economic development, education and employment. It’s not too dissimilar to affirmative action in the US, which has created somewhat similar problems. Neither the Uighur nor the Han Chinese feel the system is fair. Taking employment as an example, state run enterprises have a quota that stipulates they must have a certain amount of Uighur employees. Since it is not based on merits but ethnicity, some Han Chinese feel they are denied of a job that they are more qualified for. Quite often, this can create a culture where Uighurs do not work as hard because their job is secured by the favorable policy. It in turn creates a biased thinking amongst Han Chinese that Uighurs are lazy employees. So private businesses don’t hire them. Of course, that further perpetuates prejudice and tension. But it’s flawed to think that the tension is caused by Uighurs disgruntled over the Han Chinese’s grip of money and resources. In fact, the central government has poured money to the region and the majority of Uighurs are financially better off than in the past. What they are really concerned about is the restriction concerning their faith. Although mosques are prevalent, preaching is censored. There are also other restrictions limiting the role of religion. But this is an area that Beijing is determined to keep its control over. Thus the article makes the argument that the biggest mistake of in the policy is equating faith to benefits. They think by creating wealth in the region, people will be willing to pay the price, i.e. religion. Now, policy makers have to bear the consequences.

After reading the article, it got me thinking about the give and take game. Why does it work so well with the Han Chinese though? Why are we so pragmatic? I guess the lack of faith for a lot of people is a key condition. In the absence of a higher being, we answer to ourselves and loved ones. After many decades of turmoil, we are primarily concerned with stability and comfort. The price we have to pay seems small compared to what we could have. But the future generations who are born into prosperity and wealth might aspire to something different.

Fear of China in American Films and TV

I am a court room drama junky. Boston Legal, with its hyper eloquent and quirky iteration of controversial political and social issues of the day has been my recent favorite. I have also wondered when they would touch on China, a issue that ticks all boxes for the script writers.

And they finally did. The series ended with the Chinese buying the fictional law firm Crane Poole & Schmidt and changed the name into Chan Poole & Schmidt. To end a series in this way certainly is some food for thought. To quote a character from the drama, fine the Chinese are buying our tech companies, mining companies and financial institutions, but a law firm, the last frontier and safeguard of social justice and civil liberty? That is endangering American value. However, the drama does present a counterpoint of business is business.

Every race is stereotyped to some extent in popular media to reflect and reaffirm popular perception and misconception. And I am not saying other countries and people get a relatively balanced portrayal in Chinese media. But if adversary was the extent of China the masses in the States and rest of the world will see, what would we have but a world of fear and ideological divide? In my naive mind, it doesn’t have to be this way.

Veteran ChinesePod Users: Where Are You Now?

(Cheesiness alert) Since our humble beginning in the summer of 2005, ChinesePod was blessed by a truly special community. Users like Bazza, Lantian, Art, Henning, MikeinJubei, Azerdocmom, Rich and many more are absolutely instrumental to how far we have come.
I also personally feel indebted to you guys.
I still cringe when I listen to my earliest recordings (they were so sketchy that we actually re-recorded them to improve the quality.) But fellow veteran Poddies so generously encouraged the little fledgling ChinesePod and myself. I often receive emails from users calling me their favourite 老师/laoshi. Actually, this is also how I feel about our users.
Fast track to the present, many of the early users are no longer active on the site due to different reasons, which is why I feel particularly sentimental. I want to give you a shout out and thank you with utmost sincerity. Oh, give me a shout back if you are reading this. And to all Poddies, frequent commenters and lurkers, thank you!
Sincerely,
Jenny

ChinesePod’s New Video Lesson on Characters

What is BS in Chinese

While swear words are some people’s introduction to a new language, I will never be caught dead swearing even if it’s for educational purpose. However, a comment in today’s ChinesePod lesson (about dogs)http://chinesepod.com/lessons/afraid-of-dogs/discussion#comments  was so mind boggling that I have to share in written form.

A user wanted to confirm if 狗屁/gou3 pi4, literal meaning ’dog fart’ is the equivalent of ‘BS’. Yes, it is. I’ve never noticed that, probably because I don’t use either often. But how funny and uncanny that the two languages use different forms of animal wastes to describe a common human behavior. 

 

ChinesePod Goes Video

http://chinesepod.com/lessons/traffic/discussion

The tagline of the Bugle, a brilliant political satire podcast is ‘audio newspaper for a visual world’. ChinesePod has been largely audio too. But beginning today, we are expanding into the visual world. This vocab tour is the first instalment. More and better to come with the help of your input.

Enjoy!

Chinese Soundbites by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist

shanghaiist_SH0001pb.mp3

In the midst of a million significant events around the globe, today also marks the inaugural episode of Chinese Soundbites, a new weekly podcast about buzzwords in China. Amber and myself host the show. It’s a collaboration between ChinesePod and Shanghaiist, a massively popular blog about life and survival in Shanghai.

Of course, nothing is more buzzword-sy than Liu Xiang right now. In a bittersweet fashion, his pullout is the subject of this week’s show.