Join the growing number of students attracted by Dalian's
picturesque beachscapes and pure Mandarin Chinese. Before
2000, international students came only from the neighbouring
South Korea, Japan and Russia. But now, more Americans
and Europeans are choosing Dalian to study Chinese.
With beach life and beer to rival Qingdao, the Mandarin
learner in the "Hong Kong of the North" will be spoilt
for choice as to how to spend extra-curricular time in
this city.
Only a night's train ride from Beijing, Dalian is the
second largest city of the north-eastern Province of
Liaoning in China. Skyscrapers join imperial Russian
architecture in the bays and ports of the peninsula,
which faces the Yellow Sea and the inland Bohai Sea.
This harbor city has one of the cleanest environments
in China, and with winds from the Pacific the city is
refreshingly cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
From the city center, the 40 kilometer Binhai Road winds
along the coastline taking in famous scenic spots, stunning
cliffs and scenic parks.
One of the first northern Special Economic Zones of
Deng Xiaoping's Open Door and Reform policy, Dalian has
made a name for itself with technological innovation
and tourism. Now known for its fresh fish and seafood,
Dalian's shoreline restaurants serve up top-quality seafood
at very reasonable prices. If the Chinese are not visiting
Dalian, they are watching it: Dalian FC is one of the
nation's top football teams, attracting players and supporters
from across the country.
Strategically important to this day, Dalian's history
is dominated by its neighbours, Russia and Korea. To
the southwest of Dalian is Lushun, the former military
port colonized by Russia last century. Today it is a
place with museums and historical sites for tourists
to learn the history of the city. The adventurous visitor
could take a train to Dandong, jumping off point for
a sneak view of one of the world's most inaccessible
countries, North Korea.
Dalian's big universities, Dalian University and Dalian
University of Technology attract among the top students
in the country. Dalian is one of the hubs of innovation
in the country and gets direct investment from the Ministry
of Science and Technology. The education system is one
of the major winners of this policy with the city's schools
funded to create a next generation of technological expertise.
For language learners, Dalian's Mandarin in rich in north-eastern
idioms and the local accent is even clearer than Beijing's.
Dalian University of Foreign Languages |
Dalian University of Foreign Languages (DUFL), located
in the centre of the city, was founded in 1964.The
only tertiary institution of foreign language studies
in the northeast of China, DUFL welcomes over 800 international
students a year, many of whom enrol in Chinese language
courses at the School of Chinese Studies, the biggest
in the region and a recognized National HSK Testing Center.
Dalian University of Technology |
Dalian University of Technology (DUT) has grown significantly
since its founding in 1949 to become one of the key engineering
and scientific research bases in China.Aiming to reform
China's industrial heartland, the Ministry of Education
funds several projects at DUT, providing state-of-the-art
laboratory and research equipment.Many of China's most
innovative young entrepreneurs graduate from the university's
management and language programs. |