Considering the current situation with the pandemic + protests, how crazy do you think it is to come to Hong Kong to study Mandarin? (I rly wanna master my Chinese but China/Taiwan are closed now)
I know that Hong Kong has never been a popular place to learn Mandarin, and the locals don’t speak it well, BUT it is literally the only part of China (no politics here, I am just referring to the region), which is still possible to enter as a foreigner if you do not have permanent residence. HK immigration is still issuing student visas, while mainland and Taiwan don’t even make any vague promises about openning. I have been to HK several times and locals seemed pretty friendly when I was trying to practice my Mandarin with them. However since my Chinese is pretty average (I was studying in Shanghai for half of a year before before the pandemic) + recent political situation and the fact that I am white, so I guess locals would still prefer to use eng or canto.
Anyways, how is the situation in the city? how do locals react if you address them in Mandarin? Is it possible to have enough practice? Are there any mainlanders left or all flee back to China? or locals actually would be happy to practise Mandarin with me just for fun, like they do in China/Taiwan?
Hope someone living in HK could advice me with this.
HK has a very high cost of living which is even more painful if you only have a student budget. And at least at the moment it also has a big coronavirus problem
I have been living in Hong Kong for quite a while before Singapore, and I have a good friend who studied Mandarin in Hong Kong before moving to Taiwan (because he was 18 and his family was working in Hong Kong at the time).
This is my take:
Anyways, how is the situation in the city?
The situation right now is not the best due to a lockdown, however in general the situation was pretty OK, despite the protests.
They episodes of violence were limited and targeted, and as a foreigner the main issues were the disruptions on the day to day life due to the MTR being closed, the streets being closed and kinda it.
how do locals react if you address them in Mandarin?
If you are white, they might reply to you in Mandarin if they happen to know it.
If you are Asian, it might be more problematic.
Is it possible to have enough practice?
Yes, there are a lot of teachers and tutors. However one hour cost probably like 2 to 5times what you would spend in Taiwan.
Are there any mainlanders left or all flee back to China?
Plenty of mainlanders.
or locals actually would be happy to practise Mandarin with me just for fun, like they do in China/Taiwan?
No, they would not be happy to practice Mandarin with you.
I think, due to the situation and the cost of living, either you find a way to come to Taiwan or China, or you should consider investing the money to study at home.
NTU/ICLP is doing the class entirely online due to the pandemic.
2 hours a day, one on one with a teacher.
And you can live at home, practice a bit with chat or with italki.
There are a lot of Tutors who can also help you with that.