Anyone familiar with 逢甲大學 language centre in TaiZhong? I’d like to hear from anyone who has studied there or who knows anything about their Chinese language programme. Thanks.
hello all,
does anybody study or studied at Feng Shia language center?
I would like to know how is it like?
How many students in class?
What nationalities prevailes?
Quality of teaching
Facilities, etc.
Thank you.
Vindobona
I promise you they won’t improve your pinyin! 
Try a search for Feng Chia, that’s the official romanisation. There are threads on the topic around.
Cheers.
HG
[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]There are threads on the topic around.[/quote]Here are a couple:
forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?t=49382
forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?t=18952
[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]I promise you they won’t improve your Pinyin!
Try a search for Feng Chia, that’s the official romanisation. There are threads on the topic around.
Cheers.
HG[/quote]
Can you explain me what do you mean by: “they won’t improve my Pinyin” please?
Does it mean that Feng Chia is not above standard school?
I am beginner in Mandarin, only what I know the pinyin si using roman alphabet to express pronunciation.
Thank you.
V.
[quote=“Vindobona”]Can you explain me what do you mean by: “they won’t improve my Pinyin” please?
Does it mean that Feng Chia is not above standard school?
I am beginner in Mandarin, only what I know the Pinyin si using roman alphabet to express pronunciation.
Thank you.
V.[/quote]Fengjia is fine. I’m pretty sure they cater for Pinyin use, though you have to realize that most teachers in most language centers in Taiwan prefer using Zhuyin Fuhao (another system, which doesn’t use the Roman alphabet).
I think what Huang Guang Chen meant was that your own use of Pinyin could be better. You can usually use the “search” function on Forumosa to find lots of good information, but only if you get the spelling right. Searching for “Feng Chia” or “Fengjia” will give you results, but “Feng Shia” is incorrect and won’t give any useful search results.
I have seen some people are studying at one of these universities. I wonder if anyone could share any experience they might have that might help me decide between one and the other. I have visited both of them and Feng Chia seems more organised.
I have studied at 逢甲, Providence and 中興 here in Taichung. I’m currently working with 東海 on a project, but have never attended there as a student. You can PM or ask me specific questions here if you have any.
I studied at Feng Chia (known as Taiwan’s kindergarten, by the way) and have written about it on here somewhere, as have others. Do a search.
A first look turns up this: viewtopic.php?f=40&t=35069&hilit=Feng+Chia
HG
[color=#808080]In light of the NTU thread I thought it worth starting a Feng chia one.[/color]
Anyone currently studying or about to start studying at FengChia soon? Im starting Mandarin in September.
PS: Having to write Feng Chia instead of Feng Jia is doing my head in! (:
I did a couple of semesters there a couple of years ago. What would you like to know?
I was primarily interested to meet anyone that was going there, but since you say you have been there I do have some questions?
Do they strictly use PAVC? How do they rank you is it by which PAVC level you would be up to?
Is going there going to be productive in terms of increasing my Chinese competence? Im putting 1-3 hours of self study per day in at the moment
Thanks!
Thought I would add some brief comments to answer some questions now that I am at Feng Chia.
- The teachers are excellent, well they are far better than what I have had before in my home country.
- Personalisation is excellent, they specifically place you in classes to help you where you are needing the most help, ie pronunciation, writing, speaking practice, etc…
- At least with my class, the teacher is excellent at speaking using 100% chinese. The teacher is fairly good (for the most part) at speaking chinese at a level which everyone can understand.
- There is an annoyingly large focus on grammar, however given that the grammar is being taught in 100% chinese (no english) it is an excellent comprehendible input source. Its just CI where the topic is grammar (:
Would highly recommend fengjia to anyone else considering attending.
Do they still have option classes to make up your 15 hours a week? What sorts of options are available these days?
Reading/writing, listening/speaking, pronunciation, etc… I doubt it has changed much lately.
As of Jan 2012, I’m studying @ Feng Chia. Here’s what I have to say:
Levels 001-401 are offered in the morning, levels 501-801 in the afternoon. (Sometimes 501 is morning.) They are 2 hour classes with a 10 min break, Mon-Fri. (10 credit hours total)
Electives for the lower levels are listening/speaking and reading or writing. They require 8 students for a course, otherwise they will consolidate courses. They are typically Mon/Wed or Tues/Thur for 2 hours. (4 credits total)
The 15th credit is a cultural class, approximately every other Friday. This is the same for everyone in the language center.
You’re required to take 15 credits, though I know someone who talked them into letting him take the main course only (only saved about 10% of the cost though).
This elective setup means you only spend 10 hours a week in class on the book content, compared to 15 hours at other language centers (from what I understand). This is good ONLY if you have extra time to put in outside of class.
All x01 courses offer grammar, reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Most teachers follow the Practical Audio-Visual Chinese (PAVC) book closely. Some will emphasize one subject. He Fen Fen is probably the best grammar teacher in Taichung, but the other components (reading & writing especially) suffer as a result. Hu Jun Yi is a great 101 teacher. Chen Hui Ru is balanced, but that offers little time for any one component.
I haven’t had any teachers who spoke much English in class. The amount of homework is reasonable, 1-2 hours a day at most, if you want to be top of the class.
I’ve been disappointed in pretty much all of my listening/speaking courses, as we only spend a little time speaking. For some reason, most teachers like to teach you new words instead of practicing what you already know. If you can practice outside of class with someone, that would probably make up for this.
All the teachers are personable and flexible (regarding homework in particular).
You have to read & write @ FCU; if you just want to speak, don’t go to FCU (or anywhere that uses the PAVC book probably).
If you are just getting started in Chinese, I would recommend at least 1 term at a listening/speaking school first (TLI or TLC), otherwise you’re probably going to struggle.
You can learn & use zhuyin (bopomofo) or pinyin; all the teachers provide materials in both (though pinyin seems to be the preference now).
If you have some Chinese background, can hear tones, and have someone you can practice with outside of class, I would highly recommend Feng Chia.
PAVC is a decent book, but you’re not going to learn grammar on your own using it. It covers grammar, but does not fully explain the grammar, leaving big gaps sometimes.
Level 001 - intro to Chinese, Zhuyin fuhao (Bopomofo) &/or pinyin. Chapters 1-3 in PAVC Volume 1
101 - PAVC Vol 1, Ch 4-11
201 - PAVC Vol 1 Ch 12, PAVC Vol 2 Ch 1-8
301 - PAVC Vol 2 Ch 9-13, PAVC Vol 3 Ch 1-2
401 - PAVC Vol 3 Ch 3-10
501 - PAVC Vol 3 Ch 11-14, PAVC Vol 4 Ch 1-4
In addition to Hu Lao Shi, He Fen Fen Lao Shi, and Chen Lao Shi (all highly recommended), here are some other teachers: Lu Lao Shi - if you get 80 on a test, she thinks that’s good. Goes beyond lesson material, meaning you have to work harder on your own. Overall, can be frustrating. Zhang Lao Shi - Adds many extra words in addition to the ones in the lesson. Students give presentations instead of verbal tests. Easy to pass, but may not learn too much.
Is there anyone new who has studied in Feng Chia since 2012? I’m thinking of going there to study but all the threads about the school or the city are outdated
There was an AMA on reddit last year by a Feng Chia admissions officer that might help https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/comments/fvqvrj/information_about_studying_in_taiwan_at_feng_chia/
I have been living in Taichung for many years and I am studying Chinese at another university Chinese language centre here. If you have any questions feel free to ask away!
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I’m studying Chinese at Fengchia since March this year and quite satisfied so far. Other students studying here are mainly from other Asian countries (Japan, Korea, SEA) though there are also some Westerners like me. I have the impression the language center and the teachers do really take care well of their students. There are diverse cultural events, trips etc. you can participate in.
Study fee per semester is 25K but the longer you study the more discounts and even scholarships you can receive.
Just check their website and don’t hesitate to ask them if you are still interested!
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How did you applied?did you received a application confirmation email? Is studying at the school increase your ability to understand the language? Are you a moe scholarship recipient or self funded? I’m self studying mandarin and would say I am hks 1 but understanding through listening is a little slow. Do you think they would help with this? I’m planning to enroll in the university a year after the center and want to at least understand the courses. My tones are improving greatly but slowly because I English creole, English and Spanglish I just use some pronunciation for all to apply to Mandarin. I’m just a little worry about understand through hearing. Would love to hear your thoughts.