龙年: Year of the Dragon
As travelers find their way home after this year’s Chinese New Year, the government estimates over 3 billion passenger trips will have taken place over the six-week holiday travel period – about two trips for every Chinese citizen. CLI closed for a two-week recess to celebrate Chunjie, “Spring Festival”, as Chinese New Year is commonly called, opening its doors again this Monday.
Though a few dedicated scholars stayed at CLI during the national holiday to get ahead in their Mandarin study, most students and staff left the city to usher in the Year of the Dragon with family, friends, lots of delicious homemade dishes, and, of course, the banging and booming of firecrackers and fireworks.
新年快乐！！！ Happy New Year from CLI!
A Taste of Home
Meiwei: Guilin's new foreign food store
There’s no better way to bring in the New Year than with a delicious taste of home. CLI students and staff recently took a trip to the new foreign food shop in Guilin’s san li dian area. A short fifteen-minute walk from CLI, Weimei, or “Charm”, has shelves stocked with everything from kettle cooked chips and your favorite cereals to savory pasta sauces and pudding mix.
Though Guilin spoils its citizens with American, Italian, Indian, Thai, Korean, and Japanese restaurants — as well as just about every type of Chinese cuisine — the CLI community is thrilled to have a new supply depot for the homesick Westerner.
With a Yao Woman in Longsheng
After more than two years of educational consulting and nine months as CLI’s Educational Director, in September I bid a heartfelt farewell to Guilin and to the countless friends and colleagues I came to know while living there. At the end of October, I will be moving to rural India to spend ten months volunteering with a human rights organization in the field of educational development; while I hope to provide a much-needed service to Indian communities that lack the resources to develop viable educational programming on their own, my work at CLI has inspired me to continue exploring the transformative impact of education on our increasingly globalized world.
Since I first began working with CLI, we have welcomed close to 200 students to China. With each passing season, our community grows ever larger. And yet, for me, CLI has always felt like an extended family. As students come and go, I have seen firsthand the unbreakable bonds that they form with teachers and peers, and shared the unforgettable experiences that they carry with them upon returning home. Students venture to CLI in hopes of improving their Mandarin Chinese; in the end, they often discover that in addition to language proficiency, they have gained lifelong friendships and a newfound appreciation for Chinese culture. It is this aspect of CLI that I will miss most.
What I'll Miss: Guilin's Scenery
Throughout the upcoming year, CLI is partnering with several U.S.-based programs and schools to provide intensive Mandarin language training and academic study tours for students and professionals eager to know more about China. In addition to hosting two high school study tours through Oakton, Virginia’s Flint Hill School and Alexandria, Virginia’s Episcopal High School, CLI is organizing two professional development seminars on environmental sustainability in conjunction with the China Sustainability Initiative (CSI). CLI will also host two undergraduate-level study tours, one sponsored through the Intelligence Community Centers of Academic Excellence (IC-CAE), and the other through Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business. Though I won’t be in China to welcome these new students myself, I can rest assured that they’ll learn much about the Middle Kingdom – and themselves – by participating in a CLI program in China.
So while I say my final goodbyes to the misty karst mountains, golden rice paddies and bustling city streets that are Guilin, I know that I won’t be gone forever. Although I may have provided CLI with my educational expertise, it has imparted me with so much more than that.
A Fond Farewell
Farewell Dinner at Shuimofang
This past Thursday, CLI hosted a festive farewell dinner in honor of five of our departing students — Matthew Dietrick, Lea Parizot, Mary Rossi, and Dennis and Melib Marker. While Mary, Dennis and Melib were with us for a short but fulfilling month, Lea has been enrolled in CLI’s College Study Abroad program since mid-February, and Matthew since September of last year. All of our students will be greatly missed, though we are thankful to have built so many fond memories together.
The event was held at Shuimofang ( “The Waterwheel”), a local Guilin restaurant that specializes in local fusion cuisine. Providing a unique twist on traditional Chinese dishes, Shuimofang is consistently a favorite of CLI students and staff. Sweet-and-sour duck, braised eggplant, and homemade tofu are among the most popular of the restaurant’s selections.
一，二，三。。茄子！
Saying farewell to friends is never an easy task. 一路平安！
From May 20 to June 19, 2011 CLI proudly hosted a month-long, faculty-led academic study tour, organized on behalf of Virginia Tech and Norfolk State University and funded by the U.S. Federal Government’s Intelligence Community. The core of the program focused primarily on intensive Mandarin language training, held at CLI’s Guilin learning center, while a one-week travel component to Beijing and Shanghai provided students with firsthand insight into the intimate workings of China’s bustling political and financial capitals.
Major highlights of the trip included:
- Calligraphy Lessons & Mountain Climbing at GXNU’s Downtown Campus
- Visit to Guilin Fabric Market & Suit Fitting at Local Tailor
- Li River Boat Ride & Afternoon Bike Tour of Yangshuo’s Countryside
- Shanghai’s Famous Acrobat Show
- Night Tour of the Bund & Ascent of the Shanghai World Financial Center
- Visit to Shanghai’s Propaganda Poster Art Center
- Morning Hike through the Longji Rice Terraces
- Free Beer Tasting at Guilin’s Liquan Beer Factory
- Beijing Hutong Tour and Lunch at a Local Family’s Home
- Visit to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City
- Climb up the Great Wall of China!
At CLI, we truly feel that our highest goals have been achieved when our students both excel in their Mandarin language studies and display growing enthusiasm for Chinese culture. We remain tremendously impressed with the cultural adaptability and academic diligence of our Virginia Tech and NSU students, and wish them all the best of luck for the future.
Here are some of our favorite photos from the study tour:
Climbing Folded Brocade Hill, Guilin
Alex and Mai Lan at the Summer Palace, Beijing
Posing in front of the Apple Flagship Store, Shanghai
Allie and Craig at Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai
Please feel free to browse CLI’s comprehensive overview of the Virginia Tech and NSU summer study tour. CLI is currently in the midst of hosting a second Intelligence Community-funded academic study tour, this time in conjunction with Howard University. Be sure to check back soon for additional updates!
CLI is proud to introduce a new partnership with the Education Association for China Tomorrow (EACT), a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes education, youth development, and cultural exchange. This upcoming summer, CLI will be working closely with EACT to help support their efforts to welcome young scholars from around the world to China for a one-month International Youth Festival.
In anticipation of its 2011 US-China International Youth Festival, which will be held in Beijing from July 12 to August 8, EACT is sponsoring full scholarships for 100 outstanding youth representatives from the United States. To apply and for more information, visit EACT online or contact Amanda Ding by email at amanda.ding@eactus.com. You can also reach EACT by phone at (+1) 240-395-1376. We look forward to receiving your application!
Learn Chinese on Skype
In the age of global communication, learning Chinese is easier and more convenient than ever before. The Chinese government currently estimates that 40 million people across the globe are learning Mandarin from outside the PRC, a 25% increase from 2005. And although in Western countries the most popular foreign languages continue to be Spanish, French, and German, European and American interest in studying Chinese is on the swift rise.
For those wishing to achieve proficiency in the world’s most widely spoken native language, online Mandarin classes provide a valuable alternative to studying in China. Honing your Mandarin skills in the PRC certainly offers the priceless opportunity of experiencing full immersion into the Chinese language and culture; however, some students lack sufficient time or money for such a venture. Learning Chinese online brings the classroom directly to you, so you don’t need to put your immediate obligations on hold to take part.
Alternatively, studying Chinese online provides a perfect academic arrangement for students who have already studied in China and are seeking to continue their Mandarin lessons after returning home. It is additionally a valuable introduction for those who are preparing to travel to China, and would like to practice their Mandarin prior to doing so.
Aside from the convenience offered by studying Chinese online, holding class through the Internet is generally much more affordable than hiring a private tutor near home. Differences in the cost of labor between China and the West offer the privilege of one-on-one Chinese lessons, but without the unwanted financial strain.
Private online instruction ensures that your language level, learning pace and style, and relevant needs are fully taken into account. Because classes are performed one-on-one, student input is valued highly and teachers monitor individual progress carefully. You can be sure that you have the full, undivided attention of your instructor at all times, and there are no external distractions. Best of all, you have complete flexibility in scheduling your Chinese lessons, and your weekly instruction will be based upon your personal scheduling availability.
CLI now provides one-on-one online Chinese lessons in a variety of subject areas, including Spoken Chinese, Business Chinese, and Chinese for Kids. Please visit our Learn Chinese Online page to view a complete listing of our study options!
Introducing CLI’s New Learning Center!
CLI is proud to unveil our new 5-story Guilin learning center, completed just in time for the Chinese Spring Festival! Featuring twelve classrooms, a spacious recreation room, kitchen and dining area, teachers’ lounge, and three floors of private accommodations, CLI is located within convenient walking distance of our university affiliate, Guangxi Normal University (GXNU).
Every week, CLI offers a variety of cultural activities to acquaint our students with Chinese pastimes, customs, and traditions. On Tuesdays, CLI teachers and students come together to learn about a featured aspect of the modern Chinese lifestyle – playing Chinese chess, participating in a calligraphy class, holding a ping pong tournament, or watching a Chinese movie on our state-of-the-art projector screen, for example. On Wednesdays, our students, local friends, and teachers participate in cultural exchange seminars, providing a learning opportunity for participants to express their impressions of Chinese and Western ways of life. On Thursdays, CLI offers a Chinese history class, taught by a local professor; and on Fridays, students and teachers learn about Chinese cuisine by holding cooking classes or visiting a local specialty restaurant.
One of Twelve New CLI Classrooms
In addition to an array of weekly cultural activities, CLI also provides home-cooked lunches and dinners throughout the study week. Students can enjoy each meal for a nominal fee of 8 CNY; common dishes include Sichuan, northern, and local southern specialties, including meat-free options.
As a top-notch Chinese language school, CLI strives to provide continuous training and a one-of-a-kind work environment for our teaching and administrative staff. Alongside our regular cultural exchange seminars, we hold weekly teachers’ meetings to chart student progress, discuss the importance of employing creative teaching methods, and evaluate teacher effectiveness. We also offer regular training sessions in spoken English to minimize any possibility of language difficulties between our students and teachers. Ultimately, our most important aim is to create a conducive learning environment for achieving fluency in Mandarin Chinese, as well as bridge cultural differences and form long-lasting friendships among students, staff, and local friends.
Please see below for additional photos of CLI’s new learning center:
CLI's Comfortable New Dining Area
The CLI Building Has Three Stories of Private Living Space
One of CLI's Private Rooms
CLI's Recreation and Movie Room
One of Two Student Lounges
The CLI Kitchen, Ideal for Preparing Home-Cooked Meals
Adela and Nancy Practicing Chinese Characters
CLI's Seminar and Group Discussion Room
Students and Teachers Enjoying Lunch at CLI
Greg and Liu Qing Studying Traditional Chinese Foods
CLI Teachers' Lounge
This summer, CLI will welcome three unique study tours to China: the China Sustainability Initiative, to be held in mid-May; Rising China, a 2-week study tour held in conjunction with Virginia’s Lynchburg College; and a 4-week Chinese language intensive program, funded by the International Community Centers for Academic Excellence. We are eager to welcome all of our upcoming students to our new Guilin learning center!
桂林欢迎你！
Practice Your Basic Chinese!
While in Guilin, you will stumble upon countless chances to meet new people and to practice your Chinese. Unlike in Beijing and Shanghai, the majority of local Guilinese speak only limited English — so, why not brush up on your Chinese skills instead?
The first key to making local acquaintances is to master essential introductory questions that people are bound to ask:
- Where are you from? Nǐ cóng nǎlǐ lái? 你从哪里来？
- How long will you be/have you been in Guilin? Nǐ zai Guìlín duō cháng shī jiān? 你在桂林多长时间？
- Why did you come to Guilin? Nǐ wèi shén me lái Guìlín? 你为什么来桂林？
- What do you study? Nǐ xué xī shén me zhuānyè? 你学习什么专业?
- Where do you study? Nǐ zaì nǎlǐ xué xī? 你在哪里学习？
After grasping the meaning of these Chinese introductory phrases, you can then begin to build the vocabulary necessary to hold basic conversations in Chinese. Instead of speaking English with your friends and classmates, speak Chinese instead, and make a habit of practicing your Mandarin in natural settings. By listening carefully to the Chinese spoken by local Guilinese, you’ll be able to better understand the Chinese of native speakers.
CLI offers limitless opportunities for students to practice Chinese, both inside and outside of the classroom. Our facilities provide a true immersion-based learning environment, as students participate in cultural seminars, language learning activities, and in-house meals alongside staff, teachers, and Chinese friends.
Helpful tips for learning introductory Chinese:
- When someone uses a word that you don’t understand, ask them to repeat it so that you can begin to pick up new vocabulary.
- Each time you learn a new word, write it down in a language learning notebook. This notebook should be carried with you wherever you go, and not just used while you study at home.
- Ask shop owners and sales clerks to provide the names of common household items while you’re shopping — a helpful, on-the-go tool for increasing your vocabulary.
- You’ll soon find that the local Chinese are very friendly and eager to chat — let them know that you speak Chinese by approaching affable strangers, and don’t be shy!
CLI Featured in the Washington Post!
CLI is proud to announce that it was recently featured in the Washington Post! The article includes interviews with CLI’s founders, Robert and Bradford Fried, as well as former CLI student Nicholas Gacos and faculty leader Dr. Edd Sewell. Please take the time to read the Washington Post’s feature on CLI (re-published below), or visit the Washington Post website for the original story:
Vienna brothers start language institute in China
By Gregg MacDonald
The Washington Post
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Starting a successful business is a daunting task for anyone, especially for a 22-year-old American who wants to set up shop in China.
But Vienna native Robbie Fried seems to have pulled it off.
In 2009, after receiving a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in Asian area studies from Virginia Tech, Fried, then 22, moved to Guilin, China, to join his brother, Bradford, 31, who has lived in Guilin for nearly a decade.
With moral support and financial guidance from parents, who helped gather investors, Robbie and Bradford Fried founded the Chinese Language Institute, an educational institution that offers short- and long-term intensive Mandarin training, as well as accredited study and research seminars throughout China. The institute serves anyone who wants to learn the Chinese language and culture.
“We have a lot of college-age students, but we have also had students as old as 72,” said Robbie Fried, a 2004 graduate of Madison High School. “Some want to learn Mandarin, while others study Chinese philosophy, economics or history without concentrating as much on the Mandarin language.”
The institute grossed more than $160,000 in its first year and serves about 100 students per year, said Robbie Fried, 24.
“I couldn’t have done it without my brother,” Fried said of Bradford, a graduate of Lewis & Clark College, who first went to China in 2001 as part of a seven-month international studies program. Bradford Fried enjoyed the culture so much that he moved back in 2004 to teach English at a Chinese university.
“I was so amazed at how easily I picked up on the language and culture during my short time there that I decided to live there,” Fried said.
Robbie Fried attempted to learn to speak Mandarin on his own while a student at Virginia Tech. Edd Sewell was his adviser at the university and remembers his passion for learning Chinese.
“He got very frustrated with the traditional classroom instruction and he began attempting to teach himself, with the help of tutors,” Sewell said.
While visiting his brother in 2007, Fried found it easier to master the language while interacting with the Chinese. He stayed nearly two months.
“I just traveled around and mingled with the people, and my language skills improved exponentially,” he said.
He went back twice and eventually became fluent. After graduating, he decided to form a partnership with his brother and offer others an opportunity to learn by immersion.
After forming the institute, Fried returned to Virginia Tech to work with administrators there. He wanted to create courses at the institute that would earn Virginia Tech students transferable academic credits and began recruiting students. He then visited other schools, marketing the institute and setting up programs to match the schools’ academic requirements.
Today, he is managing director of the institute, which recently expanded to a 3,600-square-foot facility on the Guilin campus of Guangxi Normal University. He travels to the United States from China at least twice a year, marketing the institute to schools and recruiting university students to fill its 13 classrooms.
“My husband and I kid around all the time saying, ‘Who would have ever thought that two of our three sons would be living in China?’” said Nancy Fried, their mother.
The institute’s programs last from two weeks to a year. Tuition is priced from about $700 for two weeks to slightly more than $19,000 for one year, depending on the program and accommodations.
Last summer, Nicholas Gacos, a junior at Virginia Tech who is studying broadcast journalism, participated in a three-week program. He earned six semester credits in 21 days and learned more in that time than he imagined he could, he said.
“We crammed so much learning into those three weeks,” he said. “The things we did, and saw, and ate, and the people with which we interacted; it was an unbelievable learning experience, as well as a great deal.”
“There are some immersion programs similar to this, but to my knowledge there is no other program that tailors individual instruction to the needs of the participants the way that CLI does,” Sewell said.
In addition to learning about the Chinese culture, participants in the institute’s programs act as representatives of western culture, Sewell said.
“What Robbie and Bradford are doing, in a sense, is building a bridge between cultures,” said Sewell, who took 16 Virginia Tech students to the institute last summer.
“One of the students that went with our group was so impressed with the learning experience that he is going back,” he said. “Robbie’s passion for cultural expansion is most definitely contagious.”
