Small Group Programs

Classical Chinese is designed for advanced learners. Focusing on Tong and Song poetry and idioms, the course introduces methods and skills to approach them through close reading of chosen texts. Through 24 sessions, participants will be able to:

• Grasp basic patterns, including vocabulary and sentence, in classical Chinese

• Recognize and understand frequently used function words

• Recite 4-5 famous poems

• Increase their modern Chinese proficiency level

• 《许三观卖血记》(Chronicle of a Blood Merchant)

  • Yu Hua’s novel, “许三观卖血记,” will serve as the text for this course as it portrays how Chinese people’s lives were affected by the Land Reform Movement, the Great Leap Forward, the “three years of natural disasters,” and the Cultural Revolution. Readers will consider the author’s story-telling techniques, voice, and point of view. Delve into “许三观卖血记” to form your own interpretations. A vocabulary book with comprehension questions will be provided to assist you to read “许三观卖血记.” Approximately 20 pages per week. This is an excellent primer for reading Chinese novels. Set your goals and just get reading! Through 24 sessions, participants will:

    • Conquer the fear of reading Chinese novels

    • Enjoy the fun of reading Chinese novels;

    • Acquire the ability to skim and to draw inferences from textual and cultural clues

    • Write summaries and narratives of events with clarity

• 《活着》To Live

  • If you have read “许三观卖血记” and are willing to read more authentic novels, welcome to this class, we will read “活着”, another classic piece from Yu Hua. Both the novel and movie win international awards, and they are worth of leaning. 《活着》 was also the best-selling fiction book of 2019. You will finish reading the novel in one semester. You will enjoy a great sense of achievement, because you will:

    • Understand the story

    • Perceive the beauty of the author’s writing techniques

• 《我不是潘金莲》I Did Not Kill My Husband

  • The text for this course is “我不是潘金莲”. The novel provides readers with an insight into the structure and the operation of China’s government. Besides enhancing the reading proficiency level, we also hope participants will be able to acquire the habit of reading Chinese literature.

• 《少年的你》Better Day

  • Classical Chinese is designed for advanced learners. Focusing on Tong and Song poetry and idioms, the course introduces methods and skills to approach them through close reading of chosen texts. Through 24 sessions, participants will be able to:

    • Grasp basic patterns, including vocabulary and sentence, in classical Chinese

    • Recognize and understand frequently used function words

    • Recite 4-5 famous poems

    • Increase their modern Chinese proficiency level

• 《城南旧事》Memories of Peking: South Side Stories

  • Ying Zi, the main character in, 《城南旧事》, was a 6 year old girl and lived in the south part of Beijing in early 20th century. Through her eyes, the author demonstrates different people’s lives and social events. It’s a hard and dark period, but life in the old Beijing hutongs is also full of warmth between people. What did this little girl see and how did she interpret it? Let’s read it together.

• 《呼兰河传》Tales of Hulan River

  • Xiao Hong, a famous female writer in the early 20th century, wrote the autobiographical novel “呼兰河传” to portray Chinese people’s lives in a northern town in China. Xiao Hong has the consciousness of an independent woman, but also with childlike innocence, which can be felt in the text. In Hulan River, People there were industrious, but they lived a miserable live. This novel is like a poetry, a play and a movie.

• TV Series《小欢喜》​

  • Someone tells you “Everything I have done is just for you.” Is that a kindness or a pressure? Someone tells you “Your life will be over if you don’t do well in the college entrance exam.” Are you still willing to study for the exam? In TV Series class, we will view a TV serial drama about 高考, which revolves around four senior high school students and three families. It’s a comedy with deep meaning. Two episodes should be watched in advance of class and will be thoroughly discussed each week. In addition, commentary articles or literature pieces will be provided each month to enhance participants’ understanding of family relationships. Through 24 sessions, you will:

    • Expand your vocabulary, including popular internet buzzwords

    • Understand the 高考 system and the family tensions it generates

    • Conduct your own critical research on a高考 related topic

    • Appreciate some typical educational concepts held by Chinese parents.

• TV Series《士兵突击》​

  • Soldiers Sortie is a classic Chinese TV drama produced in 2007. It tells a common soldier’s experience and growth after he was drafted into the army. Xu Sanduo, a simple and stubborn village boy, with his persistence and dedication successfully accomplished his mission in the army. Xu Sanduo is a character in Chinese TV drama who we shouldn’t missed. Soldiers Sortie creates several distinct characters too. We will read the novel while watching the drama. In class, we will:

    • Paraphrase and discuss the story and the characters

    • Analyze the method used by the author to selected the material

    • Analyze the writing features of the author

• Chinese Movie

  • This course will include 3-4 carefully selected movies. Participants will watch the movies in advance. Film reviews and interviews will be provided as reading and listening materials to enhance understanding of the movie. While practicing new vocabulary and sentence patterns in class, we will first cover the plot and characters in the movie and then consider the historical context and important social issues of the specific era. In addition, cinematography will be discussed. Through 24 sessions, participants will be able to:

    • Enjoy the pleasure of watching Chinese movies

    • Critique various aspects of a movie

    • Understand defining characteristics of particular periods in China to further understand modern China

    • Achieve an advanced high level in aspects of listening and reading

    • Expand vocabulary and sophisticated expressions in Chinese

• Study China’s modern history through Chinese movie(s)​

  • China and Chinese people experienced great changes since 1949. Many movies successfully captured the important moments and memories. The movie《我和我的祖国》consists of several small movies, and each one introduces an important historical event. In this course, while watching and discussing the content of the movie, we will also learn China’s modern history. Supplementary reading will also be required. Students are supposed to do independent research on historical event as well.

• LGBTQ+ & Chinese Movie​

  • Three LGBTQ-focused movies will be discussed in this course. The three movies will be selected from the following: 春风沉醉的夜晚-Spring Fever, 东宫西宫-Behind the Forbidden City, 刻在你心底的名字-the Name Engraved in Your Heart, 谁先爱上他的-Dear EX, 自梳-Intimates, 喜宴-the Wedding Banquet. There are two goals in this course.

    • First, in addition to understanding the content of the movie, the acting skills and artifice of cinematics will also be discussed.

    • Second, supplementary vocabulary, film reviews and interviews related to the LGBTQ+ group experience in China will be provided as reading materials to enhance understanding of the current situation and the development of LGBTQ+ group in China.

Business Chinese is designed for students interested in international business, employment, or internships in Chinese-speaking communities, or for students who simply want to improve their Chinese proficiency with a focus on authentic social and professional interactions. Students will gain a broad business vocabulary.

Maybe you’ve lived in China for an extended period of time but left for various reasons. However, you still wish to maintain a connection with this land deep in your heart. You aim to preserve the Chinese language skills you acquired over the years and hope to keep your knowledge up to date with the events happening here.

Or, perhaps you’ve been studying Chinese for many years, and your current job is closely related to China. You need to read a lot of materials related to China, stay informed about the latest policies, and understand the current trends and societal movements.

Alternatively, you might currently reside in China, surrounded by fellow expatriates, discussing topics that aren’t the current focal points in China. You aspire to break out of this comfort zone and gain a deeper understanding of the country around you and the people living here.

Welcome to try MM’s news class. This course integrates reading media articles, listening to podcasts, and watching short videos. It will introduce the current societal developments and changes in areas such as educational reforms, technological advancements, the choices of the younger generation, market trends, and social current affairs.

• HSK Vocabulary Course

  • HSK is a national language proficiency test for non-native speakers. There are 6 levels. Passing HSK 5 demonstrates that you can understand newspapers and magazines. You can use persuasive and hypothetical discourse for representational purposes, with the ability to express point of view to your audience. Do you want to pass HSK 5? Do you want to have a comprehensive grasp of 2500 words in a short period of time? The mastery of 2500 Chinese words is a must for passing the HSK 5. Through 24 sessions, we will help you achieve this goal!

  • These 2500 words include basic ones like “我”, “你”, “他” , concrete ones like “公园”, “如果”, “高兴”, and more advanced/abstract words like “贡献”, “慌张”, “坚决”. The HSK5 test focuses on testing learners’ comprehension ability. Your vocabulary foundation will heavily how well you perform on the test. Therefore, character recognition and reading comprehension are key factors to pass HSK5.

  • In this course, the vocabulary list will be provided, and the participant will be required to read some words each day. Don’t worry, you may be familiar with most of them. While in class, key words will be practiced through reading comprehension.

• Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT)

  • Multi-week crash course to prep for the FSOT Chinese language test.

    *Note: MasterinMandarin is not a US government approved testing prep center.

The movie 30,000 Miles from Chang’an is a 2023 Chinese animated historical film. It follows the story of the decades-long friendship of Li Bai and Gao Shi, two famous poets, amid the Tand Dynasty’s transition from peak prosperity to the turmoil. A total of 48 poems by various Tang period poets appeared in the film. The course will use this film as an entry point to learn Li Bai’s life experience, read the poems written by him in different periods, and try to understand the frustration and loneliness experienced by this talented romantic poet.