Chinese (Mandarin) Beginners

Whether you're taking your first steps to learn another language or are at an advanced level, our courses will help you to communicate confidently in your chosen language.

Our interactive online courses provide real-time lessons with an expert tutor to practise speaking and listening. You will also have the flexibility of an online course. Access to all multimedia learning resources is included.

Course structure

Our beginner's course is made up of three parts, Part One, Part Two and Part Three. Each part builds on what you've learnt previously.

At the beginner level:

• Part One is for you if you have no or little previous knowledge of Chinese
• Part Two is for you if you have completed Part One, or if you have studied Chinese for about 20 hours
• Part Three is for you if you have completed Parts One and Two, or if you have studied Chinese for about 40 hours

You can skip Part One and proceed straight to joining Part Two or Three if you have prior experience. If you’re not sure of your level, email us via the contact details at the bottom of this page.

If you can't see the part you need in the booking table, please check back, as we add more dates throughout the year.

Teaching

Our Chinese lessons follow a communicative approach to language teaching, focusing on the language you need to communicate in authentic situations with an emphasis on speaking and listening. Our evening classes are taught by experienced language teachers who are native speakers of the language or equivalent.

Please note that the distribution of course content across terms may vary from year to year. This is due to the variable length of terms in different academic years. There may also be slight content variations at the discretion of the tutor. We may, for example, include additional content when general progress is good, or vary content according to students’ interests.

Learning resources

We will use Conversational Chinese 301 Vol 1 (3rd Edition) throughout the course, which is published by Beijing Language and Culture University Press. You can find this book either on that university’s website or some other ones, for example: Amazon.

However, please wait until the first session before buying your course book.

You can join Part One, Two or Three of the course depending on your prior experience.

HOW WE'RE DELIVERING COURSES

On-campus courses - why study with us?

• Small class sizes (8-16)
• Access to our online film library
• Highly qualified native speakers (or equivalent)
• Access to a selection of our library materials
• Reduced rates at the University of Westminster gym

Location and facilities

Most classes are held at our historic headquarters building at 309 Regent Street. This is a dedicated teaching building with purpose-designed facilities.

Our location near Oxford Circus means we're right in the heart of central London, with excellent transport links.

Our Gallery Café offers a wide range of refreshments in the evening, and we have a fully equipped gym that extends concessionary rates to all our students.

Keeping you safe

We've put in place a range of measures to ensure your studies with us are delivered safely and successfully. Up-to-date information about what we're doing to keep you safe while studying can be found on our coronavirus response page.

Chinese Beginner is the first exposure to the language, allowing you to start to communicate.

The course is made up of three parts. If you're an absolute beginner, you should start with Part One. For those who've done some study before, you may be able to join Part Two or Part Three directly – contact us if you're unsure of your level by using the details at the bottom of the page.