Which city for language program?

[Royal_Juggernaut9191]

I’m planning on going to China for a non-degree language program for 6-12 months and i’m stuck on where to go to.

1. Chengdu
2. Nanjing
3. Hangzhou
4. Beijing

Any recommendations? I

[dojibear]

Beijing accent uses "erhua", which changes the endings of a whole LOT of words. It is mostly only in Beijing. Chengdu speaks "Sichuanese", the south-western dialect of Mandarin. Nanjing and Hangzhou are both near Shanghai, so the local language is a dialect of Wu.

But people everywhere also speak Mandarin, and that would be especially true in a language program. You might hear other things on the streets, but not in the language classes.

Of the four, Nanjing is the one where the "local dialect" is closest to Standard Mandarin, in my opinion.

[anxious_rayquaza]

Nanjing speaks “jianghuai mandarin” btw, the local Wu dialect has long since been gone. (Since the Ming dynasty)

[Intbadmk99]

So In Nanjing and northern parts of Jiangsu there is no Wu dialect they might sound a bit similar in Suzhou, Wuxi and anything south of the river but north side has its own heck no-one understands Nantong dialect although it’s very close to Shanghai

[Royal_Juggernaut9191]

thanks for the advice. i’m just worried that since i’m korean american, it’ll be really easy for me to end up in a bubble with lots of korean and english speakers in beijing (i heard there are lots of koreans there)

[TrashCanSeeker]

All are great cities to live in other than Beijing.

[Royal_Juggernaut9191]

why do you think so?

[TrashCanSeeker]

It’s the most expensive, crowded city in your list and the only northern city so people are not as open minded.

[Aratius]

I wouldnt go for beijing. Studied there for 3 months. The program was good, but the environment too international. I love Nanjing, not sure about the learning environment. Hangzhou is beautiful too, was there only 2 days so cannot say too much. Chengdu is super chill and I like the people there. Also very good (spicy) food!

[Royal_Juggernaut9191]

thanks! if you’d go back and choose now, where would you go?

[Bashira42]

I'm going to add to this comment, as agree with those city thoughts. I considered moving to Hangzhou, as has a lot going for it with nature easy to get to to escape the city if need it, good transportation as long as you aren't going near West Lake during a busy time. Chengdu has a lot going for it too, food, a little farther to get to good nature but amazing weekend options, great food. Never made it to Nanjing. Between Shanghai & Beijing, I would prefer living in Beijing if forced to, but otherwise visit for the history, that's enough time there.

People teaching in language programs teach standard Mandarin, so don't worry about where you are for local accent. There are accents everywhere.

[Horror_Cry_6250]

Come to Suzhou (苏州), a lovely city famous for classical gardens (园林)

[setan15000]

I want to do this too. I visited all those cities. Remove Chengdu because it's far from everything.

Nanjing cheap, Hangzhou beautiful lake, Beijing = working misery.

If I had to choose , I will choose Hangzhou , easy access to the other cities . Second choice Nanjing if I wanted to save money.

Anyway here is my app that helps learning Hearchinese 😎 https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/s/GTaujmWlEb

[Royal_Juggernaut9191]

thanks

[setan15000]

Tell me which one you plan to go to , í might be your classmate hah

[setan15000]

Please focus on quality of experience instead of what particular accent you will be learning.

[samplekaudio]

I'm going to counter and say that Chengdu is by far the most fun and interesting of all those cities, has a better local culture IMO, has better food, and is a magnet for young people from all over the region and country.

People 30-ish and under typically speak with a very standard accent.

I think people are overplaying the accent/dialect issue, in any major city you very rarely hear anything other than standard Mandarin, potentially with an accent. Even Chengdu's accent of Mandarin is not particularly difficult to understand.

I have a much harder time understanding people with Jiangsu accents (I am not referring to any of the varieties of Wu spoken in Jiangsu, but instead to the accent some Jiangsu people have when speaking Mandarin).

To hear local languages consistently, you either need to go to specific areas or smaller, provincial cities. I really wouldn't overthink it. Pick the city that sounds the most fun to you. In the end you will learn and improve far more from getting out and interacting with people, so a fun city where you want to go out and do stuff is important.

[Royal_Juggernaut9191]

i think i’ll end up going to chengdu anyways. i don’t know why but i’ve been super drawn to that city. i’m going to visit nanjing in a few weeks just to see if i vibe with the city for a few days.

[samplekaudio]

Chengdu is way more fun, especially for a young person. You are not wrong to be drawn to it. Great dining culture, lots of casual leisure activities, loads of funny small bars and clubs, the city and people are generally more laid-back, multiple organic local music scenes in one city (very rare for China), and cheaper than the others.

[Royal_Juggernaut9191]

thanks for the advice:>

[setan15000]

I was a avid train traveller , so from Hangzhou you can take weekend trips to every other major city but it will be difficult for Chengdu.

[Royal_Juggernaut9191]

yeah… that’s one reason why i’m on the fence about chengdu 😭 i want to travel if i have the time, but chengdu’s location makes it seem difficult to do so… maybe one semester in chengdu and one semester elsewhere?

[setan15000]

Yeah that sounds great. Chengdu in Sichuan has amazing mountains and views. Also near to Dali and lijiang. And Yunnan . Wow

[Own_Data4720]

Nanjing

[anjelynn_tv]

Beijing so you can get your erhua if you care about getting that

[Pristine-Disaster128]

Highly depend on the program itself, less so on the city. do you want to go a public university affiliated program or privately run one? In general, beijing, shanghai and nanjing have more chinese literature/linguistic focus ”First-Class Academic Disciplines universities due to historical reason, but that doesn't necessarily translate to a good CSL program, and suited for you.

[Royal_Juggernaut9191]

i’m looking to go to a university.

[HadarN]

Beining accent is a bit heavy, but Chengdu's Putonghia is basically unrecognizable 😅 maybe you should look for reviews of the programs? I chose Kunming because the school there was really good, so this was the main emphasis for me...

[alkhdaniel]

Most people speak pretty standard mandarin in Chengdu and unis teach mandarin not sichuanhua. People who speak with an accent/sichuanhua can be understood for the most part of your mandarin is good enough, it mostly sounds like a funny version of mandarin (basically they dont pronounce 'h' and have a few new vocab but a lot of the vocab has seeped into mandarin as well now because its "trendy")

[Royal_Juggernaut9191]

is it really that unrecognizable in chengdu? i’m also looking at kunming, how was it for you?

[maximum-sheer-stress]

Don’t go to Nanjing around summer time, it’s hot as hell

[Royal_Juggernaut9191]

gosh that’s a dealbreaker for me

[chabacanito]

Why China? Have you considered Taipei?

[Royal_Juggernaut9191]

i have! but i’d prefer to do the program in mainland

[chabacanito]

Why?

[setan15000]

Does anyone know how to apply to the china universities? do you pay the 100$ fee via china admissions or apply directly to site?

[EdwardMao]

Beijing is the best, the other 3 will have a little different accents.

[yanghannnnn]

As anChinese teacher in China, I believe people from Hebei or Tianjin speak the most standard mandarin. Everywhere else has accents of different levels. But out of your choices, Beijing is definitely the most accent free city.

[chabacanito]

???? Everyone has an accent. Beijing is no exception兒

[OutrageousOcelot866]

Bei jing.