Finding a teaching institution in China as an elderly laowai

[laogui]

I am 71, Australian, a retired computer programmer, but a longtime student of China and Chinese culture.  My Chinese level is about HSK3-4 but I would like to get to HSK6. In retirement I teach English online, and study compulsively at Coursera EDX Udemy 等等。I am coming to live and study in China for 6 months, a year, 2 years (who knows).  However it seems impossible to gain admission into the universities because of the government and institutional policy regarding age - never mind 活到老学到老!  I am aware there are universities for the elderly, but I find they do not accept foreigners.

 

Can anyone suggest possible avenues for me to pursue?  HSK is one main goal, but I am interested in history culture cuisine literature too.

 

老鬼

[LinZhenPu]

How about Taiwan?

[roddy]

Paging @abcdefg

 

i suspect you're looking at tourist visas and private schools. Not a bad option. 

[laogui]

I have a two year visa already, just need to exit every 90 days ... Taiwan is a possibility, but I struggle with jianti hanzi already, no way I'll take on the extra challenge of fantizi!  It does look increasingly like a university is out of the question.  I cannot confront government policy with any expectation of success.

 

老鬼

[Demonic_Duck]

What type of course are you looking to study? If Chinese language and it's not important for it to be a degree course, I believe the Tsinghua 对外汉语进修课程 has no upper age limit (I know of one student who was around 50 years old when she attended, though I guess it's possible it tops out at 65 due to retirement age). You'll find that most of your fellow students are young, though (between 18 and mid 20s).

[889]

高年龄 kicks in quite early in China: tea and blankets for you after you're 60.

 

Hit 70 and you may need a doctor's letter to fly:

 

"Passengers over the age of 70 and in good health are welcome aboard Spring Airlines aircraft. However, for health and safety reasons we require our senior passengers to comply with the following regulations:

 

1.Complete the Special Passenger Application Form

 

2.Provide a signed medical certificate from within the last 180 days that contains the following information. a.Passenger name and age b.Blood pressure and respiratory details c.Any special requirements "

 

https://en.ch.com//Help/List/ac9228fe83064035a040d4803f29f02b.html

 

 

 

 

[laogui]

对889： 我的天啊！At the same time I also get into parks and exhibitions and museums for free or half price!  There are after all some perqs/perks for old age  

[laogui]

Demonic_duck: Looking for academic level, academic content, but no degree or even certificate is necessary.  The commercial language schools will be ok, but I would hope for something deeper for culture, literature. laogui (aiya why doesn't the microsoft IME work in browsers?  My Chrome pinyin input is also not working now!)

[889]

"At the same time I also get into parks and exhibitions and museums for free or half price!"

 

In Hangzhou the Metro is half-price. And in Shenzhen, it's free.

 

(The MS IME should work： 你好. The usual problem is that the input mode is set to 英 instead of 中: check the language bar. But overall, Google Pinyin is better.)

[roddy]

What you might find is that if you actually get yourself to a city and in accommodation, and have health insurance so they don't need to worry about you suddenly keeling over, the universities are willing to let you pay fees and take classes, but not be an officially registered student. Do you have any idea where in China you're going to be?

[laogui]

889: About IME2 - On two of my machines, with Windows 7 and Windows 10 after an Office update November 2016, Chinese input via the Microsoft IME ceased working IN ALL BROWSERS. I've been using it for almost 20 years!  Having an Office 365 account, I got Microsoft support and they insisted on reinstalled my Windows 10 - It took 16 hours. It booted up finally in Chinese windows, and guess what, the IME worked! But I struggled to do anything useful in totally Chinese windows, so changed the base language back to English, and of course it stopped working.  Two machines, two different Windows, two different Microsoft Office, three (4) different browsers - Firefox Chrome IE Edge.  It also disappears occasionally in Excel.  I use Simplified Chinese, Japanese and English and believe me I can see the selected language on the toolbar.  Japanese input also fails in a browser. A 'zhong' icon displays in the browser textbox when I press ALT-SHIFT but no hanzi selection list - they stuffed something up. 有时在用Google Add-on 的话能写汉字但是也不一定的。 I just did, and yes this time it worked.  I have logged this in the Microsoft forums but no joy.  I installed the google add-on because IME wasn't working.  Google Addon are no use at all in China however! 老鬼

[laogui]

Roddy: - A good suggestion I think - I would be satisfied just attending classes, perhaps doing assignments.  I am sure they would love to accept the fees.  As for travel insurance, that's a given.  When in 2007 two monkeys in Emeishan bit me on the hand I was scared sh**less of having to go to a Chinese hospital.  I let the guards clean me up, and then took off before they could restrain me - I know it was foolish!  

 

I checked out Kunshan which I really like, and Suzhou which is my second choice - both are near enough to a good friend.  Hangzhou or Ningbo are possible though I don't like the weather.  Definitely not SH or BJ, CD, CQ.

 

老鬼 

[laogui]

Well I am surprised and thankful for the plentiful replies - in the Microsoft forums you could wait a year to get a singleton! Writing Chinese Notebook entries at ITALKI.com also attracts many answers.  谢谢你们！

[LinZhenPu]

Laogui, rest assured you can use the Google IME while in China. I have it installed and have no problem using it while here,  because it doesn't need to connect to the Internet to function

[laogui]

ZhenPu: I am using the Google Add-on for Chrome - Windows, not the Google IME - but I may indeed investigate it.  I need a Windows Laptop in addition to my android devices.  Travel with smart-phone, android tablet and Windows 2-in-1.  I do indeed use the Google keyboard for Android, but navigating the Android shop is a little difficult, cannot remember how I got access to APPs in China.

[roddy]

Laogui, if you need help with the technology, it's better to start a new topic. If you don't need help, it's best not to talk about it as it'll distract people from what you DO need help with. Glad you're enjoying the answers...

[laogui]

yes the IME remark was an aside! sorry.  And I have elsewhere opened new topics.

[nicklinjm]

Am a bit confused about your comment re: Suzhou vs Hangzhou. As a guy living in Shanghai who has been to both cities several times, I thought the weather in both (hot and humid in summer, down to freezing in winter) was pretty similar?

[laogui]

Nick: don't be confused! In fact it could be all of Zhejiang Jiangsu Chengdu Chongqinq Hunan Anhui Jiangxi - I have never seen the sunrise in Hangzhou. Same also wherever I have been that is famous for beautiful sunrises!  Fog and mist or just clouds greet the eye, and seldom sun!  but I do think of Hangzhou as having bad weather and I have spent much more time there than in SZ.  CD and CQ undoubtedly have least sunshine hours, and in fact I never saw the sun in Sichuan/Chongqing in four visits. Mind you I have never been to China in August or September.

[laogui]

Roddy: 

Quote

What you might find is that ... the universities are willing to let you pay fees and take classes, but not be an officially registered student.

Any idea of how to approach Chinese officials asking them to bend the rules?  I am not so smart or experienced in such things!  I have written to XJTLU which is paradoxically in Suzhou (but then Qingdao - Duke is in Kunshan after all) along those lines, see what turns up.  Usually a bald NO.