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Q: Which is the best area in China to learn standard Mandarin?
I'm coming to work in China and haven't yet decided exactly where i want to go. The plan was to go down near HK, probably SZ or GZ due to the close proximity to some mates. But.....The more I study Chinese and the more i want to learn it while I'm there, it seems that going to this particular area might not be a great move. Any suggestions?
I have a little knowledge from the research I've done about the local dialects etc but this is all from the internet. What do you, the people on the ground suggest???
Any deets would be appreciated.
Cheers
where ever you are, just find a teacher who will teach standard Mandarin - you can usually find them anywhere
Like Sorrel says, you should be able to find someone who can teach standard mandarin in any city. Personally though I like having a less obvious accent than following the standard. It's like having someone come to England from some exotic Asian shore and learning to speak like a Liverpudlian.
I would avoid Guangzhou and Hong Kong since the official languages there is Cantonese.
Sure most people speak Mandarin and sure you can find Mandarin speakers.
In Shenzhen everyone speaks Mandarin.
I myself live in Shenzhen and I prefer it as a city over Guangzhou. Much cleaner and people are more tolerant and less pushy.
if you only want to work near HK,Shenzhen is better than Guangzhou.otherwise,you can choose to work in a city in the north or northeast part of China,qingdao,beijing,tianjing,dalian,Shenyang and Harbin are the top cities for consideration.
Personally I wouldn't bother finding a teacher here, everywhere you go there is a good opportunity to learn. You'd be better off going to the coffee shop and making friends, if they know you're ability isn't too good they will slow down their speaking and speak clearer.
Please go to Mandarin House. Details can be found in www.madarinhouse.com
