Paving the Way for My Students to Better Learn Chinese Language

LU Xun, a leading figure of modern Chinese literature in the 20th century once wrote: "Hope is something you can't either have or not have. Hope is like a path in the country. There wasn't a path to begin with, but when a lot of people walk the same way, the path comes into existence." A path walked by one person shows faint footprints, but a path walked by lots of people will be marked with numerous traceable impressions, big or small.

This is just like the path we take as volunteer Chinese language teachers. When we leave for different countries carrying the seeds of the "Flowers of Hanyu", we and our students are actually embarking on parallel journeys—teaching and learning—constantly striving for the blooming of the flower.

At the end of my first term, I am very glad that my students are still on the journey with the Chinese language, exploring its mysteries; I am also delighted that I can return and continue to teach Chinese in a place I am familiar with, feeling the pulse of the language class. Looking back, we will find that we have all left our own footprints on the paths we have pursued.

For me, who had never really taught foreigners, I was very nervous in my first Chinese class. To ease the nervousness, I began to communicate with my students by giving them Chinese names based on the pronunciation of their Lao counterparts. 

Students who had made progress were rewarded.

Most students who study Chinese prefer cultural experience classes and show great enthusiasm for hands-on practice, which they tend to remember more fondly. Take the most impressive Spring Festival cultural activities for instance. The naughty boys in my class would earnestly complete their paper-cutting assignment and show their works to classmates proudly and joyfully. In my opinion, this is how students grow up on their path of learning Chinese. As an observer, I don't understand their language, but I do know from their words and actions that they were discussing the patterns of their paper-cutting and I do hear them ask about how to say paper-cutting in Chinese, using their own language. When they show me their paper-cuts, I'm also proud of their performance. 

Paper-cuts made by my students

My journey as a volunteer Chinese teacher in Laos often began with my students' timid greeting of "Hello, teacher!" and culminated in their thrilling exclamation, "I'm going to study in China this year!" When I first met my students in the Chinese class, the first sentence they uttered was often "Hello, teacher!". In the process of teaching, some students would tell me about their dream to go to China. At that moment, I would be both surprised and moved, for it was not usual for me to hear that in person and far away from my motherland. Their expressions and actions both tell me that they are looking forward to leaving for China. 

On the journey to mastering Chinese, my students have made great progress, transitioning from articulating words to uttering sentences, and from shaking their heads to indicate "I don't know" to understanding sentences and responding accordingly. Even though they are slow at learning Chinese, their efforts are all visible: they take notes carefully, complete assignments on time, look up characters patiently, ask questions tirelessly, speak Chinese bravely, experience Chinese culture willingly...At the graduation ceremony, some students beamed with broad smiles, announcing proudly to the world that they were going to study in China. For me, it is both a surprise and a pride, because they can really go and feel the real, vivid China for themselves this time. 

A group photo with the students studying in China

In fact, teaching Chinese and spreading Chinese culture is a mutually reinforcing process. Both the teachers and students are forging ahead in firm and visible steps, with a view to making the Flowers of Hanyu bloom all over the world. 

About the author: Guo Li, a volunteer Chinese language teacher to Laos (2024-2025) .