I only became properly aware of modern China at the age of 14 when I read Li Kunwu’s graphic autobiography A Chinese Life. Li’s account of China’s last seven decades reified a country that had previously been exotic and distant in my imagination. China suddenly seemed very real; a big country undergoing big changes.

My interest in studying Chinese started in secondary school when I was told that I would have to take Spanish at GCSE. Back then my passion for languages was underdeveloped, but being a diligent student I checked the BBC Bitesize website for resources when I got home. Listed with French, German and the rest was Mandarin Chinese, which I clicked on out of curiosity. After reading that webpage it became apparent that the characters I had seen written on the walls of restaurants and tattoo parlours only scratched the surface of a rich and unique language, one that I wanted to study further.

It wasn’t until my A-levels that I had the resources to begin learning Chinese. Although an actual qualification in Mandarin was limited to more affluent schools, a Chinese teacher was sent to my secondary school through the Confucius Institute to give extra-curricular lessons once a week. These lessons were my first real experience speaking Chinese with a native, and seeing Manchester’s Chinatown populated by Money Gods and food stalls during the New Year celebrations gave me some insight into Chinese culture.

I was finally able to study Chinese in a formal capacity at Lancaster University, as a minor subject during my first year. As well as studying the Chinese language we were taught about the country’s history and art. A world of poems and literature, even when only read in translation, opened my eyes to a literary tradition completely distinct to what I had been taught at school. Although the global pandemic confined me to my accommodation, I took comfort in knowing that there was still a bigger world out there that I might one day be able to explore.

In my final year of university I was lucky enough to come across such an opportunity. After telling Dr. Derek Hird that I was hoping to teach English in China after my degree he referred me to visiting academic Zou Tiantian from Xidian University, who was looking for English teachers to field their Foreign Languages Department. Xidian, officially the Xi’an Electrical Science and Technology University, was founded in 1931 by the Communist Party to train the People’s Liberation Army in telecommunications. After nearly a century of changing names and places Xidian is now based in the historic city of Xi’an, once Chang’an, the starting point of the Silk Road and the capital for several of China’s plethora of imperial dynasties. Although my original plan was to teach English and study Chinese part-time, a last minute change in work visa requirements meant I finally arrived in Xi’an in September 2024 as a full-time student of Chinese.

Adjusting to life in China was harder than expected. On top of the usual paperwork and culture shock I had to change the way I spent money. Cash is accepted in China, but businesses expect money to change hands digitally through Alipay and WeChat. These apps are also essential to navigating the city, be it by rent-a-bike, metro or bus. After setting up Alipay and WeChat life in China began to flow more smoothly. In retrospect I am reminded of the Chinese character for country, 国 (pronounced ‘guo’, with a rising tone), which contains the character for jade, 玉 (‘yu’ with a falling tone): although at first China may seem closed off, there is great wealth within.

It has been said before that since Covid all the foreigners have left China, which is not necessarily true. All of my classmates, for example, are from Turkmenistan, and my flatmates are from Pakistan, Yemen and Cameroon. Although there are only a handful of English people I have still managed to make friends with a people from all over the world: Mexico, Sweden, Italy, Belgium to name a few, as well as Chinese people from all over the country. Suffice it to say my experience of living in China has been a multicultural one: on campus ‘Salam’ is as common a greeting as ‘你好’, and I have had the privilege of learning the basics of Turkmen.

I knew that coming to China would accelerate my language acquisition beyond what any course in the UK could provide, and Xidian hasn’t disappointed. After about three months of eleven classes a week, with each class lasting ninety-five minutes, I can safely say that my fluency and reading skills have grown significantly. By the end of my stay I should be comfortably at HSK4.

Despite my busy schedule I have also found the time to travel across the country, by plane and high-speed rail. Given its size China is a country of great extremes: on its far eastern end you have Shanghai with its European architecture facing the sea, it bars and nightclubs and fine dining, and on the other end you find the bazars of Urumqi, a cold, dry city where the road signs are written in Chinese and Uyghur.

I am writing this article on the eve of the new year, which is to say I am barely half-way through my stay in China. If my first few months here are any indication of what the rest will be like, then I look forward to seeing what else China has to offer. I would like to thank Dr. Derek Hird for helping me find this opportunity, and Zou Tiantian for her constant support both before and after my arrival in Xi’an.

John's blog on his previous IPY experience in Mexico, which inspired him to translate and publish one of Juan Rulfo's short stories, can be found here: Reflections on the International Placement Year: Mexico and Translating Rulfo - Lancaster University

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