Jason's Journey as a Mandarin Tutor in China

Sip & Speak: Flipping the Language Script in Beijing

Irene Li, Associate Editor | Oct 30, 2023 4:41 pm | Add a comment | 234 reads

So you've lived in China for a while and you've learned enough Chinese to get around. It's all well and dandy but what if you'd like to take your Mandarin skills a bit further? To converse about the finer things beyond just small talk. That's where Sip & Speak comes in.

Sip & Speak goes beyond the average English corner by flipping the script, as it were, focusing entirely on Chinese conversation. The concept, as encapsulated in Sip & Speak's credo, is: "Foreigners living in China often have the luxury of using English with locals. Now it's the locals' chance to put the foreigners in the language hot seat!"

Behind this creative venture is Jason Wang. A language enthusiast since his student days, Jason found his true calling not in translating documents behind a desk, but in teaching. In 2009, he embarked on his journey of teaching Mandarin to foreigners, a career path he has relished for over a decade. His passion for language education led to the birth of Sip & Speak.

Many expats in China can attest to the importance of learning Mandarin to overcome the language barrier and one such expat is Russel, a native of Malawi who relocated to Beijing in 2018. He has attended previous Sip & Speak sessions and can't emphasize enough the importance of learning the local language. "Back in Malawi, we predominantly speak English and everything from billboards to signposts are in English. Arriving in China, where English is hardly the norm, was indeed a massive adjustment for me," he explains. In this context, it was inevitable for Russel to enhance his Chinese proficiency.

The journey of learning Chinese can vary significantly from person to person. In Russel's case, it took him approximately two to three months to attain a certain level of fluency in Mandarin. As he puts it, he can at least converse with a grocery store owner or speak with a shifu or ayi without any significant difficulty.

Russel, who had been a student of Jason's for only a few weeks, found himself gravitating towards the Sip & Speak sessions. He was particularly fond of the unstructured, conversational style of the sessions he had attended. "Jason would typically kick-start the conversations, and before long, we'd be discussing our hobbies, football, even the FIFA or Premier League." Russel shares.

Rob, an American student and another of Jason's students, arrived in China in 2017. He confessed that gaining fluency in Chinese was a slow process for him, from merely responding 对 duì to every question to eventually developing a decent grasp of the language. "I spent my initial two years in China familiarizing myself with the tones. I commenced formal learning with Jason in early 2019, but it wasn't until about two years later that I started speaking Chinese outside the classroom confidently, feeling that I could be comprehended by most people. "

Rob fondly remembers a remarkable Sip & Speak session where they had a passionate yet measured debate on gun ownership in America, conducted entirely in Chinese. "Everyone had differing views, yet the discourse was respectful and a genuinely enjoyable way to apply Chinese in a new context," he recalls.

Note: The much-loved Sip & Speak sessions are bouncing back after a hiatus during Covid. It's worth mentioning that you need at least some level of Mandarin fluency to participate in these sessions, it's most suitable for students who have a Chinese level of at least HSK 4 due to the advanced vocabulary and complex topics discussed. If joining these sessions piques your interest, feel free to connect with Jason below.