May 2013
3 posts
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Demand for Mandarin grows
Last month China overtook Australia as New Zealand’s biggest export market. This shift in economic powers has spurred New Zealand schools to encourage their students to learn Mandarin. “At the moment, close to 17,000 children in New Zealand schools are learning Mandarin, up from about 7000 in 2010.” In the article below, The New Zealand Herald reports why learning Mandarin is becoming so...
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Where China Goes To Buy Made In The U.S.A.
In the United States, China is often only seen as a taker of jobs and supplier of cheap goods. However, one may be surprised to learn that China is the third largest importer of U.S. goods. “In 2012, China purchased nearly $109 billion worth of U.S. goods, from soybeans to scrap metal, electronic components to heavy machinery.” In order for the U.S. economy to be strong, a strong partnership with...
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Learning to speak Chinese
New Mexico high school students are learning Mandarin and loving every minute of it. The Rio Rancho School District has made a commitment to provide their students the necessary tools to succeed in life. As the world becomes ever more global, Mandarin instructor Ms. Koeler believes the Mandarin language is a universal tool that will allow her students to be successful.
In this article from the...
April 2013
5 posts
16 tags
Building California's economy by deepening...
California boasts the largest Chinese-American population and has more investment ties to China than any other U.S. State. Even with these economic relations Californians, and Americans in generall, know relatively little about the country that has 600 times more students studying English than Americans studying Mandarin. This trend is about to change as California’s Governor Jerry Brown...
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CLI Turns Four!
After 1460 days of fun, hard work and dedication, the CLI community came together this weekend to celebrate its four-year anniversary! Over the past four years, we have welcomed an unforgettable spectrum of friends and family to our home in Guilin, and we look forward to elevating our impact to new heights throughout our fifth year and beyond.
Year four at CLI witnessed great press coverage from...
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Seeking Rigor in Study Abroad
Study abroad has long been promoted as a resume booster and life broadening experience by universities. However, recently universities are realizing that their students are lacking measurable skills that future employers recognize. In order to combat this issue, universities are creating study abroad programs that specifically hold students accountable for cultural understanding and foreign...
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Learning Mandarin from a martial arts master
Students in Sonoma County, California are learning Mandarin by studying one of China’s ancient martial art forms – Wǔshù. Studying Wǔshù allows students to not only learn the Chinese language, but also Chinese history and culture. “I wanted to expose them to as much of the culture as possible,” said the students Mandarin teacher, Dennis Long. The Chinese language is very intertwined with the...
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CLI Perspectives #15
Bryan Herbert, CLI Immersion student, first came to China through James Madison University on a three month study tour. However, after the three months were over he felt something was missing. He had a hunger for more culture, more language, and more of a local experience. Bryan writes in this week’s CLI Perspectives how that hunger drove him to return to China where he now lives, works, and...
March 2013
4 posts
9 tags
Europe eyes growing Chinese tourism industry
The number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad for holiday continues to increase. As a result, popular destinations like Europe, Canada, and the U.S. have seen companies scrambling to hire employees who speak Chinese. However, as some countries are learning, hiring Chinese speaking employees is not enough to garner the attention of Chinese tourists.
For example, Chinese tourists are not flocking...
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Study abroad cultivates global leadership
Studying abroad plays a crucial role in the development of our future global leaders. While abroad, students’ eyes and minds are opened to new ways of thinking and problem solving. In 2012 a record number of U.S. students studied abroad. These numbers, although increasing, are still too low according to the Institute of International Education. One reason for this is the misconception that study...
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To learn about China, see it
Many economists, business leaders, and governments analyze data after data trying to predict what China will be like five or ten years from now. However, predictions are just that – predictions. If one truly wants to see the direction that China is headed in, learn Chinese, or understand Chinese culture, a trip to China is a must. In this article from Bloomberg Businessweek, Harold Sirkin...
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CLI Perspectives #14
This week’s CLI Perspectives is brought to us by Chris Nguyen. Chris has always loved travelling, but doesn’t like the feeling of being a tourist. CLI’s Teach in China program gave Chris the opportunity to fully explore Guilin and live life as a local. From hanging out with his students to learning Mandarin, Chris had an experience he won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
Crossing the Street in...
February 2013
3 posts
11 tags
Don't let opportunities get lost in translation
China is predicted to pass the USA as the world’s biggest economy in the near future causing many countries to reevaluate their school’s foreign language curriculum. However, as the UK is experiencing, saying their students should learn Mandarin and actually providing their students the opportunity to learn Mandarin are two different stories. A shortage of qualified Mandarin teachers in the UK is...
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CLI Perspectives #13
Mark Robinson, founder and president of HandicappedPets.com and the inventor of the Walkin’ Wheels adjustable dog wheelchair, was initially motivated to learn Chinese strictly for business reasons. He wanted to better communicate with Chinese manufacturers. However, Mark quickly realized that learning about Chinese language and culture provided him a sense of discovery and enjoyment other subjects...
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The Year of the Snake at CLI
The lunar calendar is coming to an end, meaning it is time to celebrate one of China’s most traditional holidays. Chinese New Year (also referred to as the Spring Festival) marks the end of the winter season and the beginning of a new Chinese Zodiac.
Red envelopes (hóngbāo) are traditionally filled with money and given as gifts during Spring Festival.
As the Year of the Dragon comes to a close,...
January 2013
5 posts
9 tags
US firms need Chinese speakers
An education in Mandarin Chinese could provide you a career much closer to home than you thought. Due to an influx of Chinese tourists into popular US cities, those who can speak Mandarin are in higher demand than ever in the tourism industry. While Chinese tourists are often looking for the authentic American experience, little comforts of home like hot soy milk and slippers can go a long way in...
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Gary Locke Advises Students: To Get a Job in 21st...
During a recent meeting with New York City teenagers, Gary Locke, U.S. Ambassador to China, stressed the positive impact that learning Mandarin would have on their future. Locke emphasized that learning such a far reaching language could almost guarantee a job in their chosen field. Lock feels that it is not only important for these students’ future, but for the future of the world. The ambassador...
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Studying Chinese in Nature’s Hot Tub
There may not be snow in Guilin, but winter is still winter and with the changing seasons come new opportunities to experience Chinese culture. Last weekend, CLI students partook in what some locals deem a winter tradition by traveling into the mountains for a soak in the hot springs.
The hot springs are nestled in the mountains, providing the most picturesque view.
The hot springs, or nature’s...
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Bilingualism could prevent Alzheimer's
Now, where did I put my glasses? According to a new study done at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, speaking more than one language may ward off Alzheimer’s disease. During the study, bilinguals demonstrated a greater ability to quickly change and accomplish tasks – something that Alzheimer’s patients lack. Studying Chinese now may just help you find those pesky glasses fifty years...
Over 12 million Chinese jobs created in 2012
The past year has been a monumental one for China’s growing economy. In addition to its steady upward expansion, it has been revealed that the country has created 12.02 million jobs in 2012. With an unemployment rate below the annual target, China has ended this past year on an incredibly strong note. Looking to continue this upward trajectory, the government’s focus for next year will be...
December 2012
8 posts
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Foreign-language jobs will exceed English postions
With the job market in its current state of flux, many industries are putting a larger emphasis on multilingualism. The most recent industry to reflect this change is the field of higher education. Experts predict that the number of jobs for foreign language professionals will soon eclipse those for English scholars. This unprecedented growth suggests that academic institutions are realizing the...
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Five tips for language learning
When it comes to learning a second language, simply being intelligent doesn’t guarantee success. Mastering a second language requires a unique form of discipline that will get you far no matter your age, education level, or prior experience. However, language learners often fall victim to five common mistakes that can be easily avoided with a little practice and insight. Being aware of...
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CLI Featured in China Daily!
More great news for the Chinese Language Institute! Another major publication has featured an article about CLI, this time it’s the China Daily. The article takes a look back on the founding of CLI, detailing the journey that Robbie and Brad Fried embarked on to start the institution. Take a look at the article below, or visit the China Daily website for the original story:
Let’s learn...
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Guilin is Full of Holiday Cheer
Trees inside living rooms, lights draped on houses, jolly old men in red suits ringing bells outside department stores, and cars pouring into shopping mall parking lots are all common sights and sounds this time of year in the West. Western holiday traits may be at a minimum in the Middle Kingdom, but the warm feelings, content smiles, and family togetherness that come this time of year are not...
China to become world's top economy
According to the National Intelligence Council, China will usurp the United States as the leading economic power by the year 2030. China’s future importance in the global economy is clear, making one’s ability to speak Mandarin all the more advantageous in an increasing global job market. Bankers, real estate brokers, and airline employees are already seeing the effects of...
Pre-schoolers dive into Chinese
In Austin, Texas it’s not out of the ordinary to pass by a preschool classroom and hear students excitedly chattering to one another, but thanks to a new immersion learning program you can now hear many young students chattering in Mandarin. Program founder Meggie Chou believes studying Mandarin Chinese is advantageuos for children still in their developmental years. Chou stresses that exposure...
More Swedish Kids Should Learn Chinese
Across the globe, education professionals are recognizing the rising importance of Mandarin proficiency. Today’s news comes from Sweden, where the Education Minister, Jan Björklund, is calling the nation’s exclusive focus on European languages “outdated”. In order to combat this deficiency, Sweden is updating its language curriculum to include Mandarin Chinese. China is the world’s biggest...
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CLI Perspectives #12
Nati Tamir, former Ambassador of Israel to Australia, New Zealand, and Finland, has been to many places around the world, but not until recently did his life long dream bring him and his wife, Daphne, to China. As he shares in this week’s CLI Perspectives, his dream for Mandarin proficiency was closer than he realized. In the midst of studying Chinese in China, he stumbled upon the true...
November 2012
5 posts
16 tags
Mandarin Chinese catching on in Dallas-area...
More students are realizing the importance of learning a second language at a younger age. Dallas-area schools are giving their students the chance to learn Mandarin. As China becomes a growing world influence, school districts across the United States are looking to offer Mandarin as a second language. Dallas-area schools are not alone as estimates show that around 100,000 K-12 students are...
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Seeing China through the Eyes of Kindergartners
CLI students spent this past Sunday on a cultural tour of the Guilin countryside. We may have started a little early for some, but after a quick breakfast at the local bāozi (traditional steamed bun filled with meat or vegetables) shop, everyone was energized and ready for the day’s events. The first stop on the cultural tour found students at a local art school. Young children’s shyness and...
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50% of Australian students will learn an Asian...
As part of Australia’s continuing commitment to prepare its citizens to be competitive in what it calls the “Asian Century,” the government has called for 50% of Australian students to be studying an Asian language within a decade. Australia is making Asian languages, and specifically Mandarin, a priority in its schools. “The global situation is rapidly changing,” and...
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No Mandarin? No jobs, bankers warned
For a long time, students have been told the benefits of learning Mandarin: personal enrichment and professional advancement. Now, British bankers are learning this firsthand. Bankers that want jobs in the highly lucrative and highly competitive Hong Kong and Singapore sectors are being told: if you don’t speak Mandarin, don’t bother applying. As more wealthy clients are coming from...
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Irish students learn Mandarin
In Galway, Ireland, primary school students are being introduced to the Mandarin language at an early age. Thanks to a local university’s partnership with the Confucius Institute, students at three Galway schools are taking weekly Mandarin classes from a visiting teacher from China. And the children? “They absolutely love it…the interest among the children is clear to see.”...
October 2012
6 posts
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Australia must embrace "Asia century"
In the coming years, it is predicted that about one-third of the Australian economy will be tied to Asia. This is the reasoning behind Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s call for all Australian students to learn Mandarin or another Asian language. As countries like China grow in economic power and global importance, Australians have a vested interest in maintaining a “working...
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CLI Perspectives #11
As the saying goes, “it’s the little things in life” that are the most important, and CLI Study Abroad student Kelsey Cute would agree. When it comes to learning Mandarin in China, getting the most out of her experience is as easy as taking a walk around Guilin. In CLI Perspectives #11, Kelsey explains what being immersed in a culture means to her.
Little Wonders
By Kelsey...
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Chinese classes challenge students
Cries of “nihao” and “xiexie” echoing in a grade school classroom are nothing new. What is new, however, is where more and more of those classrooms are located: America. In Rock Hill, South Carolina, an exciting new program is being praised that has elementary and middle school students learning Mandarin. The principal of one such school explains why: “One point five...
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Dreaming in Chinese
Check out this great article about CLI in the Fairfax Connection!
Brothers Robbie and Brad Fried, of Vienna, run Chinese Language Institute 17 October 2012 by Adrew Madigan| Fairfax Connection
Three years ago, with a loan from their father, two brothers from Fairfax County founded the Chinese Language Institute (CLI), an educational services company, in Beijing. Today, it’s one of the leading...
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Be a better manager: live abroad
It’s no secret that travelling abroad has many personal and intellectual benefits. Now, however, more studies are suggesting that going abroad can boost your professional life, too. In many tests that measure valuable business skills like problem-solving and complex analysis, professionals who had spent time abroad scored significantly higher. Further, professionals who claimed to have fully...
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CLI Celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival!
This past weekend all of China had two reasons to celebrate, as the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese National Day fell just days apart. Here at CLI, our teachers and students took a much-deserved break from classes and decided to kick back, relax, and join in the festivities.
Students and staff kick back and chow down.
On Saturday night CLI hosted a rooftop barbecue to celebrate the halfway point...
September 2012
5 posts
16 tags
CLI Perspectives #10
Alex Gavis had never planned on learning Mandarin. In fact, she started heading down the French language road. But after taking a wrong turn at the Eiffel Tower, she found herself merging onto the highway towards Mandarin language proficiency. In CLI Perspectives #10, Alex explains why she decided to study Mandarin and what she has learned while living in Guilin.
Guilin and Back Again
By Alex...
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Inspiration from the east: Why not study in Asia?
More than ever, Western students are looking to the Far East for their study abroad. The reasons are understandable: booming economies in Hong Kong and China, a unique cultural experience, and a Chinese government that welcomes foreign students. And if you’re thinking about learning Mandarin, “language students in particular find the experience invaluable in picking up the cultural...
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What research tells us about immersion
When learning a second language, research increasingly shows that immersion offers the greatest benefits. Students subjected to the immersion method tend to retain more of the creative, cognitive, and linguistic gains that learning a second language offers. Immersion students also acheive a greater comfort and fluency in speaking, developing a higher level of bilingualism that employers highly...
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CLI Welcomes New Students!
This week CLI is bustling with the start of a new school year. Everywhere one looks there are new faces, new smiles, and a fresh first day of school excitement contributing to CLI’s diverse, close-knit community. From college students to business professionals, individuals from all different backgrounds are coming to Guilin in search of a firsthand experience learning Chinese language and...
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New Student Testimonials!
CLI’s website has new student testimonials! CLI was bustling this summer season with new students, study tours, and cultural excursions. Check out CLI’s website to find out what students had to say about their summer studying Chinese in Guilin.
August 2012
9 posts
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CLI Perspectives #9
Mikko Helimo shares his language journey in CLI Perspectives number nine. Mikko was first bitten by the Chinese language bug while studying for his MBA in Beijing. After years of working for the banking industry in Finland, the itch continued to persist. With the goal of working in Chinese business, Mikko returned to the Middle Kingdom to learn Mandarin. How did he sooth his itch for the Chinese...
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Schools embrace Chinese-immersion method
All over the United States, Mandarin Chinese immersion schools are growing in popularity. As early as kindergarten, American children are attending classes taught exclusively in Mandarin. The reasoning is simple: “Everybody gets that China is going to be hugely important in this century,” says the parent of one such child. And with nearly 80% of the students at these schools coming from...
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CLI Recommended in Frommer’s
Check it out! CLI is featured in Frommer’s China 2012 guide book.
Frommer’s opinion of CLI: “If you would like to extend your time in China, then we recommend the Chinese Language Institute in Guilin as one of the best places in the country to work on your Mandarin skills.”
Pick up a copy at your local newsstand today, they’re sure to fly off the shelf!
Frommer’s ringing...
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To boost creativity, study abroad
A new study conducted at the University of Florida suggests that studying abroad improves one’s creativity and problem-solving capability. The study found that students who had studied abroad “significantly outperformed” those who had not in tests that measured the complex cognitive processes involved in finding innovative solutions and creative problem-solving. In the following...
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Chinese Culture on a Galloping Bicycle
The eighth installment of CLI Perspectives is written by Immersion Program student Jason Rogers. Jason shares his story of trekking the Guilin countryside on bicycle. His 10-speed provided a front row seat to Chinese language and culture. Check out what Jason saw from the back of his trusty steed.
By Jason Rogers, CLI Immersion Program Student
The last time I rode a bicycle was over a decade...
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Wu-where? Opportunity now in China’s inland cities...
Love the idea of learning Chinese, but don’t want to follow the crowds to typical study abroad destinations like Beijing and Shanghai? China has more than 160 cities with over a million people, and international students and major multinationals alike are taking notice. With heavyweights like GE, GM, and Amazon investing in many of China’s inland cities, now’s the perfect time to...
