Study
Courses
An abundance of courses can be found in China, whether you want to learn Mandarin (or any other dialect), Chinese cooking , taichi and Chinese martial arts, Chinese medicine, qì gōng, feng shui, calligraphy, Chinese painting or how to play a traditional Chinese musical instrument. One popular organisation is the enterprising Běijīng-based China Culture Center (010-6432 9341; www.chinaculturecenter.org; Kent Center, 29 Anjialou, Liangmaqiao Lu; h9am-6pm), which offers a range of tours around China, as well as events, seminars and courses in subjects ranging from taichi to Beijing Opera face-painting.
When searching for Chinese-language schools, weigh up the fees and syllabus carefully as many outfits charge expensive fees while using teaching methods that may not suit Westerners. A good place to start looking for a course is in expat magazines such as The Beijinger, That’s Shanghai and That’s Guangzhou.
