Happy Life in China

Home

Living in China

Foreigners in China

Happy Life in China

Foreigners in China

An Interview with A U.S Young Man Studying Chinese in China

Li Dong, a young U.S student who had spent one year studying Chinese in China. As he finished his studying and were going to Germany in a few days, we foreignercn.com conducted an interview to him, in which he shared with us his happy life in a country not only different from the U.S but also different anywhere else in the world.

Interviewee: Li Dong
Interviewer: Yana Zhu

Part 1 Impression: an ancient and modern country

Z：You used to have a job in the IT industry in America, isn’t that right?
L：Yes, when I was in America, I worked in a rather small computer company, which sold rather expensive computers.

Z：Why did you quit your job and come to China?
L：Ever since I was little I have been interested in learning foreign languages, and traveling as well. When I first started college I studied German, and really liked it. I went to Germany for three months during the summer holiday, and when I came back to the US I got a job speaking German on the telephone doing market research. So, I felt my German was quite good, and it would be okay to start learning another language.I know it is not easy to learn a foreign language. I thought that if I wanted to learn it properly, I should just pick one more language to learn and concentrate on it. And my favorite was Chinese.

Z:Is it because you were interested in Chinese culture that you wanted to learn Chinese?
L：I didn't know much about China before. China is a long ways from the US. I had eaten Chinese food in Chinese restaurants before, seen Beijing opera on TV and also some Chinese traditional clothes, which are quite nice! I wanted to learn a language that was very different from English. I thought it would be really interesting. And by learning a very foreign language, I could then better understand different cultures, including my own. Also, Chinese has characters.

Z：Chinese characters are cool?
L：Yes, very cool, and very different.

Z：When you arrived in Beijing, and realized you don’t often see Beijing opera or traditional clothes, did you find that Beijing wasn’t as old-fashioned as you had imagined?
L：The people here wear very modern clothes. Nevertheless, I have seen a few girls wearing traditional Qipao dresses. And sometimes I see Chinese dragons sewn on the clothes, or other things. That seems very Chinese.

Z：I think some foreign friends came to China because they were fascinated by an ancient and mysterious oriental country. But China is in fact not the same as the one existing in their dreams. She is now developing into a modernized country.
L：Yes, perhaps some people may have this impression. They have seen movies about ancient China and thought it was still the same. Still some people think that Chinese people are all in blue clothes, carrying little red books, like it was thirty years ago. But all of this has changed too.

Z：But there are still a lot of historic relics that have been well preserved, like hutongs or courtyard houses. These days, courtyard houses are often sought out for rental by foreigners because they like the ancient Chinese feeling.
L：That is very true. When I first arrived in China and wanted to rent an apartment, I was a little disappointed. I had come all the way to China, and I wanted to experience a little bit of Chinese life and find an apartment with typical Chinese characteristics. I really like those traditional courtyard houses. Some even have little gardens in the center. I think it would be a lot of fun to live in one. I think a lot of people would like to find an exotic Chinese style apartment. If it’s the same as your home back in America, you just think, well, there’s nothing new and fresh about it. I think this is why courtyard houses in Houhai are so popular.

Part 2 Life here: happy all the time

Z：Since you arrived in China, have you ever felt it is different from what you previously imagined?
L：Actually I didn’t really know what China was like before I came. On the first day I arrived, I was a little surprised. I had never seen such a city. I have been to South America, Central America and Europe. But China is totally different from all of them.

Z：In which aspects and to what extent?
L：It’s hard to say exactly what the difference is between China and elsewhere. Absolutely everything seems fresh and different. The roads are wide. The skyscrapers are impressive. There are so many people on the street, and they all ride bikes. Even the way they walk seems different.

Z：Really?
L：Yes, but I can’t express myself well enough. I just felt everything was different. And on my first day here, I didn’t even know how to eat food.

Z：Did you not know how to use chopsticks?
L：No, I could use chopsticks. But I just didn’t know where to go to get food or how to order once I got there.

Z：Does that mean that you experienced some difficult times when you first arrived?
L：Difficult times? Not at all! After I arrived, I went straight to language school, where I made some new friends. I just had a little trouble figuring out how to eat food at first. And walking around the streets in Beijing can be quite challenging. But I soon got used to it and learned how to get around.

Z：You have learned Chinese very quickly. You’ve only been here for one year, but you’ve made a lot of progress.
L：That’s right. I’ve been studying in China for almost one year now. But I did come here before. I stayed one month the first time and went back to my hometown after that. And then I came again last year, ‘till now, it’s already been about 11 months.

Z：Have you ever encountered difficulties in studying Chinese, which you didn’t encounter in studying German?
L：Difficulties? I think a lot of people think learning Chinese characters is really difficult, but actually it’s not that difficult. Of course you have to learn a lot. And you have to memorize a lot of characters. However, the hardest thing is learning how to use the words and phrases correctly, because the meanings of a lot of Chinese words are very different from English words. For instance in German, a lot of the meanings of German words are very similar to English words. So it’s really easy just to look up a word in the dictionary and directly translate it. But there are a lot of words in Chinese that just don’t have corresponding words in English. Sometimes it takes several sentences just to explain a very common, simple Chinese word. But then you still don’t know how to use the word properly.

Z：How about writing Chinese characters? What do you think about it?
L：I can write characters, we all have writing class and write essays. But whether my characters are pretty or not, I can’t say myself. (Smiles)

Z：Can you not tell which characters are nicely written, and which are not?
L：Well, when I first started, I wanted to write characters very neat and nice-looking. But afterwards, I began to just write quickly. Anyway, now I think my writing is quite clear and easy to be recognized, even though it is not always very neat. When I first started to write characters, I practiced writing the straight line about 20 times a day to make it right. Yeah, at first I wrote every character very carefully, but now I just write them very quickly.

Z：After getting used to living in China, were there any especially happy moments?

L：Actually, I’ve been very happy ever since I got here. Maybe that is partly because I was always busy working in America before I came to China. Since I’ve been in China, I haven’t had to work at all. But also, I like to go out with friends, hiking, eating out, to Karaoke, and so on. I’m able to talk in Mandarin. And people here are very welcoming. They treat me nicely.

Z：which places have you been to after coming to Beijing?
L：I’ve been to a lot of places, such as The Great Wall and Qinhuangdao. We talked with a stranger in the metro and got to know each other. She said, “Come to my home, come to Qinhuangdao, I will take you all over the place!” Later we went there for a weekend, had fun, and ate a bunch of seafood. It was great. Besides there, I’ve also been to some places further away from Beijing, like Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Tibet, Yunnan, I also went to the temple of Shaolin for one day.

Z：You have been to more place than I.
L：Really?
Z：Yes, I’ve only been to some places in Beijing.

Z：I heard you took part in the speech competition held by Beijing University, how was it?
L：It was fantastic! I didn’t know there was such a competition until 2 or 3 days before it began. As soon as I found out about it, I rushed to come up with a story in which a cat, who could speak, was introducing to us the world in 2048. I took part in the match and then was approved to the next round. They told me I had given a good performance and was popular with the audience. Finally I stepped into the final round of the competition. It felt really good to speak in front of so many people. That was an unforgettable experience.

Z：The audience must have applauded very enthusiastically.
L：Yes they did. I was encouraged. That was really exciting.

Z：Have you made some Chinese friends? Did you talk with them in English or Mandarin?
L：Yes, I have made some Chinese friends and we often talk in Mandarin. You see, it is a big opportunity to study Chinese in China for one year. I can’t lose it. If I don’t make significant progress after one year, that would be a terrible failure. So I talk with my Chinese friends in Mandarin most of the time. But sometimes we also talk in English. Some people really want to practice their English as well.
I often talk with other foreign students in Mandarin as well. I remember as I began with my study, I found it difficult to speak to other Chinese in Mandarin. They speak too fast, and I was not familiar with their vocabulary. So speaking with other foreigners is a very good way to practice. But I have always tried to speak with Chinese people as much as possible. I speak to everyone, the waitresses and shopkeepers, students at the cafeteria, people on the subway, everybody! At first I could only ask them where they’re going and what they do. This way I got a lot of practice.

Z：Do you read Chinese books or newspapers?
L：Yes, I read them everyday, such as the popular short story collections “Gushihui (Stories)”. And also some newspapers, which are quite difficult, but I can read them online, because it’s easy to look up unknown words that way. I also read youth novels, and I’ve read “Duzhe (Readers)”. I have not read any especially complicated books, because they are too hard and my reading is too slow.

Z：Then your Chinese must have improved a lot.
L：Yes, my Chinese improved a lot. But there is still a lot more to learn. My Chinese is not nearly as good as my English. (Smiles)

Z：Have you ever taken the HSK test?
L：Yes, I’ve taken the HSK. I took it in April and scored a 6. Level 6 is supposed to be good enough for college entrance. But I don’t think it would be enough.

Part 3 Leaving: I will be back

Z：Is your next plan to go to Germany?
L：Yes. I had the opportunity to spend another year studying in China.
It was hard to make a decision. But finally I choose to go to Germany.

Z：Do you intend to work again, in Germany?
L：I’ll go to study for one semester and then work.
Z：It seems to me that you like to travel around a lot. Do you want to try another country after studying and working in Germany?
L: And then, after thirty years I’ll have lived in thirty different countries? That’s not my plan right now. I think learning foreign languages is great. But to continually learn more and more new languages is just way too much. You’ll never be able to speak them properly. If you try to learn too many languages, you’ll speak them all just OK. But if you concentrate on just a few, maybe it’s possible to learn them almost as well as a native. And this way you could also better understand culture and the differences between countries. Of course I would like to go traveling to a lot of different countries. Whether or not I will live in any for a longer amount of time, I don’t know.

Z：How will you keep up your Chinese after you go to Germany?
L：Maybe I will find some opportunities to make friends with Chinese people, and opportunities to speak Mandarin. And I’ll also read some books. If I really need to I can always call China, and speak Mandarin. And I plan to find a job in a company that works with China.

Z：Then you can take advantage of your Chinese.
L：Maybe I’ll be able to use some. But I would also be able to learn about that type of work. I won’t just be studying the language, but also other knowledge.

Z： Is there any plan to return to China after going to Germany?
L：I very much want to come back to China. I can’t say when exactly I will be coming back, but I really want to come back. I think there should be some opportunities. Maybe the next time I can make a long stay here, which would be very good for me to learn Chinese better and to know more about China.

Z：OK. Finally, I’d like to wish you success with your Chinese!
L：。Thank you!

Part 1 中国印象：很现代，也很古老

Z：你之前是在美国做it方面的工作是吗？
L：是的，以前在美国，在一个比较小的电脑公司工作。我们卖比较贵的电脑。

Z：为什么会决定来中国呢？
L：我很久都想学外语，也一直喜欢去旅行。我上大学的时候学习德语，很感兴趣，之后就去德国学习了一个暑假。在那之后我得到了一个工作，在电话上用德语作调查。这时候，觉得德语学得比较好了，可以开始学习另一门语言。我就觉得要找我最喜欢的（语言来学习）。我知道，学习语言不容易，所以继续学太多就不行，所以就要找另外一个（喜欢的），我最喜欢的就是中文。

Z：是因为之前就对中国文化感兴趣，所以想学中文吗？
L：之前我对中国不太了解，因为中国离美国很远，然后什么都不知道。我吃过中国菜，在中国餐馆，看过中国的京剧之类的，看过中国古代的衣服, 非常非常的漂亮。然后我在选择要学习的语言时，就想找一个比较特别的，跟英语不一样的语言，觉得这样会很有意思。然后（通过学习这门语言），可以更多了解不同的文化。而且中文有汉字。

Z：汉字很酷？
L：嗯，汉字很酷，很特别。

Z：那来北京以后，也不是经常能看到京剧，或者古代的衣服吧，会不会觉得北京不像你想
的那么古代？
L：对，那衣服，很现代的。不过也有女孩子，穿旗袍，比较古老的。然后有一些衣服穿的，有条龙，什么的，比较有一点，中国的感觉。

Z：我想有些外国朋友来中国，是向往着中国的那种古老的感觉的。然后来了以后呢可能会发现，其实还是比较现代化的。你有这种感觉吗？
L：嗯，很多人可能有这样的印象。因为看电影什么的，看古老的中国，然后可能觉得中国还是这样。还有人看三十年之前的那个蓝色的衣服，小红色的书本。（但）那也已经变了。

Z：不过这里还是有些地方保留了那种古老的景观，像北京胡同，四合院什么的，现在是有不少外国人租那个四合院住，因为他们是很喜欢那种中国的古老的感觉。
L：是的。像（我）从美国到中国来，然后要租房子租公寓，有一点失望。因为觉得要来中国，要生活中国的，很有中国特色的房子。那个四合院很有意思，觉得很好玩，里面有小花园。很多人都是想找有特色的，有意思的，中国式的房子，要是像美国，像自己国家的一样，就觉得，嗯，没有新鲜感。所以后海那个地方比较有中国特色，外国人会比较喜欢。

Part 2 中国生活：一直很快乐

Z：就是说你来了中国以后，会觉得中国跟你原先想象的不一样吧？
L：其实以前我不知道中国会是什么样子的。然后我来的第一天，觉得好奇怪，我从来没看到过这样的城市，这样的地方。我以前去过南美洲，去过中美洲，去过欧洲，但中国很不一样。

Z：在哪些方面显得不一样呢？
L：很难说，什么都不一样吧。到这儿以后，觉得那个大楼那个路，看起来都很不一样。路特别大，然后大楼也巨大，然后那个人特别多，也都骑自行车，然后他们走路的方式，我觉得有一点不同。

Z：会吗？（笑）
L：是的，但我说不清楚，就是感觉什么都不一样。然后我一天来，不知道怎么吃饭。
Z：是不会用筷子吗？
L：我会用筷子，但我不知道去哪儿吃饭，到餐馆该怎么点菜。

Z：就是说刚来中国的时候，有一段很不适应的日子？
L：不适应？也不会吧。我刚来的时候，就是去语言学校嘛，然后在那里有自己的朋友。就是吃饭有一点问题，然后也要走路，在一个地方（开始新生活）也不容易。但是很快就了解了，就了解了这里的生活方式。

Z：你学中文也很快啊。来中国其实也就一年时间吧，进步很大。
L：对，我在中国学了一年。但我以前来过，来了一个月然后回国了，然后去年就再来了，然后（到现在）已经十一个月了吧。

Z：那学习中文有没有特别困难的地方？跟德语不一样的？
L：困难的地方？我觉得，很多人觉得汉字很困难，其实没有那么困难。当然必须学习很多东西，必须记下很多汉字。不过最大的问题就是那个词语，意思都不一样。像德语，很多词跟英语的意思是一样的，所以你可以很容易查字典，翻译过来。但中国的很多词语，在英文中找不到对应的意思。可能你需要很多句子来解释一个很简单的词语。然后你也不知道怎么用这个词。

Z：书写方面呢？感觉怎么样？
L：能写，我们都上书写课,书写文章。但是我的字好看不好看，我自己不知道（笑）。

Z：自己不能够判断那个字好看不好看？
L：嗯，我刚开始的时候，想学得写得很漂亮，但以后就是写得很快。所以，我还是算是写得比较清楚比较容易看懂，但不是很好看。我刚开始的时候就是练习写那个“杠”，二十次，（比划手势），写得很直的。嗯，一开始的时候是比较细腻的写，后来就写得比较快。

Z：适应了这里的生活之后，有没有遇到什么特别开心的事呢？
L：我其实来这儿之后，觉得生活非常的开心。有可能是因为之前在美国我一直是在工作，来中国之后就不用工作。也是来这儿之后，跟朋友一起去玩，去爬山，去吃饭去唱歌什么的，都很开心。而且能够用汉语交流，中国人也很热情，所以，都很开心。

Z：那去过哪些地方玩呢？
L：去过很多地方。去过长城，也去过秦皇岛。我们是在地铁上，然后就跟一个人说话了。是陌生人，（但）我们说话就这样认识了。她说，“你们来我家吧，来秦皇岛，我陪你们玩。”
然后我们就去玩一个周末，然后吃很多海鲜，挺好的。除了那，我也去过比较远的地方，比如香港，深圳，也去过西藏，也去过云南一趟。还有少林寺也去了一天。

Z：你去过的地方比我还多。
L：是吗？（笑）
Z：是啊。我只去过北京的这些地方。

Z：我听说你参加了北大的那个中文演讲比赛，感觉怎么样？
L：感觉很好！（笑），（当时）他们说要找些留学生，我之前不知道有这个演讲比赛，直到两三天前（才被通知），然后一下子就写出一个文章来，然后一边看一边说，去演讲。（我写的）是一个比较搞笑的故事，关于一个能说话的大黄猫，给我们介绍2048年是什么样子的。然后他们说喜欢我，要我回去参加那个复赛，所以回去了，这时准备得好一点儿了，去参加那个复赛。然后感觉很好，他们也找我回去参加那个最后的总决赛。我感觉很不错，能参加演讲，在很多人面前。

Z：观众的掌声很热烈吧？
L：是的，很热烈的，感觉很好。
Z：有结交很多中国的朋友吗？跟他们是说中文吧。
L：嗯，一般都说中文。我刚来的时候，觉得有这个机会来中国，学习一年中文，那不学好就不行。要是学不好可能没有另外一个机会再来。要是学到比较高的水平，以后，机会会更多。当然有的时候，我会说英文，而且他们是很想练习英文一下。但是一般我找人喜欢说中文，我的外国朋友，一般跟他们都一直说中文。因为开始的时候（学的）比较容易，（但）中国人说的太快了，用的词我都不知道，然后以后越来越多跟中国人说话。跟所有的人说话，去相见的时候，去吃饭的时候，试试跟那个服务员（说话），说中文，然后问他很多问题。买菜的时候跟服务员也说中文，路上的时候碰到路人也说中文，车上，跟所有的人都说中文。（比如）“你好”，“你去哪儿？“你在哪儿工作？”这样练习了很多。

Z：在这边看过什么中文书籍吗？
L：嗯，看过，天天看，看《故事会》，还看一些报纸，这个比较难，但在网上看，就可以查不认识的词。也看过小说，看过那个《读者》。我没有看特别复杂的书本，因为还太难了，我看得太慢了。

Z：中文就慢慢进步了吧？
L：是的，中文进步了很多。不过还有很多地方需要学习，我的英语还（比中文）好得多。（笑）

Z：考过HSK（注：汉语水平等级测试）吗？
L：考过，考的六级，我是四月份考的，然后六级说是能够上大学（的水平），但是我觉得还不行。

Part 3 告别中国: 我还会回来

Z：然后接下来是打算去德国是吗？
L：是的。有机会待在中国一年，很好。但是有点难选择，最后选择去德国。

Z：是打算直接在德国重新工作了是吗？
L：我先上学，上一个学期，然后工作。

Z：感觉你很喜欢到处走走。那在德国学习工作之后，还会不会去另外一个国家，尝试另外一个国家的感觉？
L：然后过三十年就去过三十个国家？我没有这个打算啦，我觉得学外语很好，但继续学太多了就不行，因为不会说得很地道。那要学得太多，可能每一门都学得比较差。要是学得少一点，那就可能学得好一点，也会更多的了解文化，了解那个地方是什么样子的。（当然）我想去好多国家旅游，会不会长住就不知道。

Z：那去了德国，打算怎么来保持自己的中文水平呢？
L：可能会找会说中文的朋友，会找机会说话，然后也会看一些书。也许有问题我还可以给中国（这边）打电话，说中文。然后我打算找一个跟中国有关系的公司工作，会很好。

Z：可以利用自己会中文的优势？
L：也许可以用一些，而且可以学习那方面的工作，不仅学到语言，而且也能学到知识。

Z：去德国后还会有来中国的计划吗？
L：我很想回中国，我不一定能说我肯定说我什么时候回来，但我很想回来，我觉得应该会有机会吧。也许可以再来比较长的时间，会很好，可以更多的学习汉语，更多的了解中国。

Z：那最后就祝你的中文水平变得更好：）
L：谢谢。

< Prev		Next >

China Yellow Pages