The first and best choice for language travel students looking to learn Chinese abroad is China. This huge country is becoming a very popular destination and has so much to offer – amazing culture, both ancient and modern, fantastic sightseeing, and great Chinese cuisine!
China is one of the world’s largest countries in land area and has the world’s largest population. It’s a country of ancient civilisations and a great deal of history, which has one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Tourism, for both leisure and language travel, has really grown over the last decade as this country which was once all but closed to foreign visitors has now opened its doors.
China is in East Asia and is the largest country in this part of the world. It is also the 3rd or 4th largest country in the world (depending on how you count the territory!), but houses a fifth of the whole world’s population with over 1.3 billion people. Language travel students would certainly be hard pushed to get lonely while studying abroad in China!
Despite all the people, there are parts of China which are stunningly beautiful and you should definitely take time out from your Chinese course in China to visit some of these places. There’s Mount Everest, for example, on the border between Tibet and Nepal, or there’s the island tropical paradise of Hainan. For many language travel students the ultimate sight to see in China is the Great Wall.
Spanning about 4000 miles (6400km), many language travel students will only ever get to see a very small portion of it! Some of the other most popular sites in China include the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square in Beijing; the largest city in China, Shanghai; beautiful mountain and river scenery of Guilin, and the Army of Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xi’an.
China is the most obvious destination for a Chinese language immersion program. With such a high population here, language travel students can’t help but be immersed in the language! Chinese is the de facto language of China though there are many different regional variations of this. You can take Chinese courses in Xi’an, enroll in a Chinese school in Beijing or in many other places!
Chinese food has made its way around the globe and so most foreign language students will no doubt already have tried it. The way in which dishes are cooked varies across the county, but popular dishes include stir fried meat and vegetables, Peking duck, dim sum, rice and noodles. Many Chinese fast food places exist, though if you’re not keen on these there are also Western fast-food restaurants as well.
If you learn Chinese in China, you will observe that this nation has a rich and ancient culture and history which you can easily experience, though this is also becoming a very modern country. Sports are very important in China, so language travel students who enjoy participating in sports will find there’s plenty of opportunity here. Morning exercises in public parks are very popular, and popular sports include table tennis, badminton, swimming, martial arts and basketball.
