LIVING IN BEIJING, CHINA (as a Foreigner) 🇨🇳 First Week Studying Chinese!

We are a British / Russian couple living in Beijing, China whilst studying Chinese at LTL Mandarin School. This is our daily life as foreigners studying in Beijing!
Settling in to our new life in Beijing, and this routine of studying Chinese in a language school every day has been so interesting. Chinese is a difficult language to the learn, but we have a fantastic teacher, and we are determined to get there, and share our progress along the way!
Living somewhere for a month is something we haven't done for a long time, but we are so glad to be here in the capital of China! Lets gooo!
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[@MattandJulia]

WANT TO STUDY CHINESE WITH LTL? 🇨🇳 🚨EXCLUSIVE for viewers of our channel 🥰 - 50% OFF Online Classes || Visit flexiclasses.com and use the code MATTANDJULIA when signing up for 50% OFF your first purchase 👀 OR - 10 FREE Online Classes if you come to China || Quote "Matt and Julia" when enquiring for a language course in China, and get 10 free classes to take either before coming to China, or after you go home! ❤️

[@BooLion-l6m]

Didn"t ask for another ad. Bye Bye.

[@gweisa899]

@@BooLion-l6m So don’t watch. They will have ads that they think will benefit us. It helps them to go travel and make videos for us. Every video with ad they get money from us watching.

[@LTLChinese]

You guys are killing it, but we've got so much more to teach you! Rest up over the weekend, and come back fighting on Monday 💪

[@MattandJulia]

谢谢 ❤️ 周一见 🙌🏼

[@MrXerph]

上课不要戴口罩

[@pinkiesmum]

What an interesting life you are leading dear Matt and Julia. You are so inspiring! So far away from the boredom of a 9 to 5 job in an office! I think having each other helps a great lot, as if one is alone one would feel the change of a new place harder to digest. Thank you for sharing your amazing experiences!

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you so much, so glad to have such h lovely people on this journey with us, your support means the world 🥰❤️

[@rawcopper604]

I stayed at LTL Beijing for a month not too long ago. The nostalgia I'm getting is crazy. Those are some of the best memories of my life

[@jilldinneen4271]

Thank you, that was such a great video. I love joining you in your lessons; your teacher is super..

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you so much! She is so lovely, we love her already 😀❤️

[@BethanyBovard]

I was enjoying your videos of your trek across China and then got very excited to see your video of your LTL & Beijing experience. I'm planning on heading there in February to study and I've found your video very comforting and helpful. 谢谢。 活到老，学到老。 :)

[@LTLChinese]

Can't wait to see you next year, Bethany :)

[@MattandJulia]

So glad we could share it with you Bethany! Lots more to come too 🥰 Sure you will love it in February 😍❤️

[@sunbird-sun]

Welcome to Beijing！🤝

[@TRAVELADVENTURES-xm2vo]

Wishing you the best for your upcoming adventure 🌏✈

[@TRAVELADVENTURES-xm2vo]

I'm sure your upcoming trip to Beijing for study will be an amazing experience. Wishing you all the best in your preparations!

[@gweisa899]

A language learner myself who learned Mandarin too. Definitely recommend speaking to local people about what you have learned. They will be helpful if you are learning their language. They are always finding ways to exchange English back too. Also, give you practice too. Doing that can be uncomfortable, but you will see results in your understanding of speaking and listening. And at home I recommend watching some Chinese or some sort of listening. You do not need to understand everything. You can pick up words or phrases you have learned. The brain needs other ways to connect what you have learned.

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you so much! That is really helpful, really appreciate it ❤️❤️❤️

[@gweisa899]

@@MattandJuliaYour Welcome

[@maxihobbs]

You guys! Just killing it. Keep up the great work 加油

[@MattandJulia]

谢谢Max 加油 😀❤️

[@miriam2909]

Oh my gosh, that guy you had lunch and went to the forbidden city looks like your twin Matt ! Great visit to school and watching your daily routine..😊😊

[@MattandJulia]

Haha, we English guys all look the same 😀 Thank you so much Miriam 🥰❤️

[@miriam2909]

@ 😆😆 funny guy

[@agneswatson9592]

Julia rubbing her temples in class says it all! 😅 Fantastic experience. ❤❤

[@MattandJulia]

Haha, the struggle is real 😁🥰❤️❤️

[@davemagrel3349]

The hisory and culture of China is literally amazing!!!!!

[@islandgirl7056]

This is so wonderful to see! You are both so inspiring! 🌏💚 And Julia, I JUST realized you were once on the Great British Baking Show! 😅🥮💙

[@mikeandashley]

You're both doing so well! We're heading back to China soon, so your videos are helping us learn little bits of the language. Thanks for sharing your experience with us! 🥰

[@cheungchingtong]

Highly recommend you two read some more Chinese history and folk novel books, and communicate more with locals. Chinese, as a language is very unique, has been developing with the thousands of years long Chinese history itself along with many different regional influences, that's why many foreigners who learn the language offshore find themselves incapable of speaking and understanding it properly with local Chinese while some foreigners who are living in this country for years have no problem with it. There are simply too many stories and allusions behind lots of sayings and characters.

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you so much for the recommendation 🥰❤️

[@gavinsmith5588]

It’s great that you guys are willing to do this challenge,Chinese is not a easy language to learn,but I believe your hard work will pay off ,wish you luck ❤

[@NeidlichesSchwert]

Nobody named Gavin Smith would use punctuation like that. Wumao. (Unless you are four years old?)

[@jordanparua2636]

Woah cool, I live and study in Beijing as well and not too far from Wangjing. Good luck on your Chinese learning journey 加油！！💪🏾

[@000T00b]

I just love the way you guys have opened yourselves up to learning and savouring every experience there. 👍

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you so much 🥰❤️

[@chiayaolam]

Going downstairs, going to the park, talking to those over 60 years old, very helpful for learning Chinese! Haha, they have enough time, patience, and topics to chat with you. They have been through a long enough journey in life to be more than willing to listen and tell.

[@Maxშემიწყალე]

I cannot wait to see your progress at the end of the month. If I have this opportunity, I would like to do the same

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you so much, we can’t wait to share 🥰 Ohh, you will love it for sure ❤️

[@LTLChinese]

We also cannot wait. We have high hopes ;)

[@contactsuzi7096]

Julia - A trick I used when organizing phrases so I could access them quickly...I wrote each on a 3 X 5 card...punched a hole in the corner of each card, made a stack to attach to a ring...then I could flip through them easily. Love to You Both, Suzi

[@lbednaz]

I used this for years teaching basic sight words in first grade! Great method!

[@utube41952]

You guys are awsome willing to learning a difficult language, KOODOOS love your videos.

[@keyup2626]

So good to be catching up with your videos. Just love you guys and how brave you are learning a new language. I’ve missed seeing your videos being stuck in hospital for 5 weeks. Hope all is well and you’re both in good health.

[@madmousetales]

You’re doing so well guys ! Chinese does not seem easy but so worth it to learn ❤ the food looks amazing there. I’ve really enjoyed your China videos so far ❤

[@andersfalck6633]

Lovely. Forbidden City is indeed special. I fell for the SIZE, all the hand-crafted details everywhere. Palaces has always been a demonstration of power, the simple logic of "mine is bigger than yours" you know, but this one must knock-out everything else, at least I have seen. (Haven't seen Xian terracotta army, hint!).

[@AuroraRose_Andromeda]

Thank you both for this awesome video. Now I want to try my hand in learning Chinese. It looks like you both have a great teacher and she's patient. I can see you both starting to relax and get into a routine now that you been there a week. I hope the next few weeks go well for you all. Love seeing the Forbidden City. You travels and adventures open my world as I will never get to see all that you both have seen and experience. Be safe, and have a great time! See you on the next adventure.

[@cnmd1636]

I can feel the excitement of you guys while you are learning Chinese and probably have a feeling that you become more and more like a member in the Chinese society

[@MattandJulia]

Ahh for sure! We are so excited to progress 🥰❤️

[@NeoTemplar]

Loving the China vids.

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you so much! ❤️

[@cherylcarlson3315]

My son was like you after his immersive Mandarin classes at age 12. After first week didn't expect him to say anything for the 2hr drive home and he had to eat immediately. He did 3yrs of weekly classes while little sister was determined to learn French at age 7. Was a relief to go to work and only speak English

[@Anonymous------]

It's much easier to learn Chinese language by remembering the common English words that sound like the English transliteratations of the Chinese words despite they aren't related. Here is an example, "Mint Bark" = "Understand", as you can see these English words are easy to remember, all you need to do is adjust the pronunciation a little bit, you ask the local people to say that word and then listen to how they pronounce it, or listen to the computer generated pronouciation. In this case you remember the Chinese word "Understand" sounds like "Mint Bark" and the actual pronunciation is "Min Bak". Easy!

[@dweamy1]

I would suggest making flash cards (you can make them yourselves) by cutting out square pieces of paper, write the foreign word on one side and translation on the other. You can then test each other and yourself by going through the cards. It really helps with learning vocabulary.

[@gweisa899]

Also learning the parts of the character and picture helps with memorizing new words and using it in your own sentence too.

[@barbarawhitecotton9548]

Was there in 2011 on a Viking River tour, 16 days. Start of our tour, land, air and river ending in Shanghai. Xian was the highlight of our tour bring us chills. Viking doesn’t go there anymore.

[@MrLaueebee]

Good decision to learn Mandarin and will definitely be an added advantages to your vocabulary.👍👍👍

[@cindybrodie9769]

Great video as always! As an aside, that sweater looks like beautiful on you, Julia!

[@CloudHan-han]

In fact, there are thousands of dialects of Chinese in China, each with different pronunciations but identical characters. That's why China promotes Mandarin. My parents don't speak Mandarin, and many elderly people are like them. However, young people from all over China can communicate normally in Mandarin.The oldest language in the world, still in use for 5000 years, is worth learning. Decades ago, the Chinese government simplified the writing of Chinese characters, making it easier to learn. The language with the largest number of native speakers in the world is Chinese, so it can be said that this language is actually not difficult, and it is also the language with the simplest grammar!

[@carolali8851]

Fantastic video. I can't believe that you actually went into the Forbidden City, such history! Hope you enjoyed the durian pizza. ❤

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you so much! ❤️ We will show it in the next video 😀😬❤️

[@4thDeutschesReich]

it seems to be a little chilly in Beijing, we are still in T-shirts and shorts in Guangzhou

[@lindauhrig1513]

So impressed with you both!

[@alejandroheld9527]

Nice to have an idea of ​​how you've spent this month taking classes! That jacket is so cute Julia! I see it's cold in October. Pizza with Durian..!!! No No that makes me reconsider if I'm doing the tour next year! Haha just kidding. Love from Buenos Aires

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you so much Alejandro! ❤️ Hahaha, ohhhh don’t worry we won’t force any durian pizza on anyone 😁😏 Love to you 🇦🇷❤️

[@LTLChinese]

Pizza with durian?! Not sure our Italian students will be so happy about this. Tread carefully!

[@siuchen7140]

Good work..❤

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you so much 😀❤️

[@TheAnneishere]

Oh wow I am so enjoying your videos!! ❤❤

[@amandagrant4331]

Thanks for sharing

[@lindathalman3506]

You two are beyond belief! I might even learn how to use chopsticks to eat that duck dish. It's total overload for you language-wise. What fun. Reminds me of learning French at age 30 with 3 hours of classes in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon doing homework. And then my head just exploded. Too much, too intensive. Know how you feel! Wow oh wow! Brilliant video clips from your stay in China. Thank you ever so much.

[@LTLChinese]

Love your story!

[@ThongvanNonsithanh]

Thanks for the video. Very beautiful.

[@randomname931]

I admire yall. Chinese isn't easy.

[@CookingMadeEasy101]

Question: 1.what has been your most memorable experience in what country and why ? 2. Also what has been the best county to live in and why ? 3. What country was not what you expected in bad and good ?

[@juniperwildflowers]

Julia, your outfits are so cute. I can't wait to find out what durian pizza is like!

[@brianlee844]

welcome to china! Wish you enjoy living! Enjoy studying in Beijing!

[@Jaredbuncher]

The fastest way to learn Chinese from my experience is definitely not in class but through media and conversation. Short useful sentences learnt with the use of apps or voice recordings, like with your earphones and just practice. Watching Chinese movies and shows also helps.

[@MattandJulia]

Thanks for sharing your tips ❤️ We hope to use as many resources as possible and chat as much as we can 🥰

[@LTLChinese]

All about immersion!

[@MichaelAllan-e1q]

Many people also say 早安 in the morning rather than 早上好, means the same thing

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you for the advice ❤️

[@MichaelAllan-e1q]

@@MattandJulia 不客气， also 晚安 means same thing as 晚上好

[@lbednaz]

While teaching first grade for many years, I would have the children write basic sight words on index cards and hole punched a corner to put on a ring. Then during free times they would either review alone or with a partner. This would work great for phrases or words you use alot, just put the translation on the back. Then you and Matt could quiz each other.

[@teresamc7630]

The Forbidden City is definitely a must-see 🤩

[@sumosprojects]

Glad it’s you & not me learning but good onya for giving it a crack 👍🍻

[@LDCatherine5]

Aww, you guys are doing wonderfully. Take it easy, one day at a time. I understand. I am American but lived in Korea and Germany and took language classes. Loved it, but it does fry your brain. LOL

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you so much! Ohhh for sure, lots of frying going on 🥰❤️

[@rahuladduri6562]

wholesome

[@MattandJulia]

🤗🥰❤️

[@josephemmanuelkarre2334]

Excellent 👌

[@OMGFrijoles]

Watch your favorite movie in subtitles/dub. It’s the best way to learn and like a new language

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you for the advice 🥰❤️

[@OMGFrijoles]

@@MattandJulia Reading words on a page never did it for me in French class. That was always exhausting It was watching how people interacted using language in a movie that I already understood and liked that got me motivated.

[@SCIFIGAMESFANS]

Haikou would be better. It is a tropical island city in Yanhai. It is not cold in winter and has beaches. It is also very convenient to go to Sanya.

[@MattandJulia]

Thanks, we prefer the cold (I know, we are strange!) 😏

[@manwingchi9156]

Today you both are student. If you carry on, one day you will be teacher teaching children English. 😊😊😊

[@carycoombe3380]

I took Mandarin in University. Do you two do the "head bobbing" thing when trying to speak the Mandarin tones, too? 😆😁😉 Plus, I was taught a different way of saying "So-So": The Mandarin idiom mamahuhu (马马虎虎) literally translates to "horse horse tiger tiger" and is used to say "so-so" or "just okay". It's similar to the American English word "meh" and is used to describe something that's not particularly good or bad.

[@TiKscHBiLa]

come to visit my country Morocco, i swear to god, you will never forget it as long as you live on this earth

[@ZeroFate643]

It's completely natural to be exhausted after a few hour of learning. And especially when learning Chinese which is not at all an easy language.

[@SCIFIGAMESFANS]

It is not recommended to live in Beijing. It is recommended to live in Haikou or Guangzhou. The cost of living there is lower and it is also a large international city.

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you for the recommendation, we personally prefer the cooler weather, Guangzhou would be too hot for us ❤️

[@Siberian1-g1g]

In 1792, the British sent a diplomatic mission to China to negotiate trade with the Chinese emperor. At that time, almost no one in China could speak English. The Portuguese translated Chinese into Portuguese and then the Portuguese into English, because the Portuguese in 16 He has been conducting missionary and business activities in China since the beginning of the century. At that time, the Chinese emperor probably would not have thought that the language of this small island country would spread all over the world and become the world's largest language in the future.

[@dunkierookie970]

You guys gotta flex your newly-acquired Mandarin skills more😅

[@jimmywr32]

great video

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you!! ❤️❤️❤️

[@lynlandham3779]

This is great! Not sure about the durian pizza, though! lol

[@kenoding118]

中文难点: 昨天（夜）， 上（个）月（前一月）， < 去年 (前一年) and 前年 >,,,,,,so difficult and complex. standard chinese that Ignore the content in brackets

[@MattandJulia]

For sure, it is going to take a lot of repetition to remember this 🥰❤️

[@kenoding118]

rare to say as 旧日(去日)，旧月（去月），旧年（去年）。

[@masdaug1325]

how have you found the cost of living in beijing? im actually planning to join ltl beijing in February

[@MattandJulia]

Oh wow, awesome! Don’t forgot to use the code for 10 free online continuation lessons post school ❤️ We have found it very reasonable compared to Western Europe, however of course it depends on where you are from 😘 for example, the metro cost $0.50 per journey. And a cheaper local meal can cost average $3 usd per person and a western fast food meal $6 usd, hope this helps ❤️

[@charlie-letsgo]

It's giving "The Last Emperor" vibe when you visit the Forbidden City on such an overcast day lol

[@MattandJulia]

That place is a vibe in all conditions I think 😍😍😍❤️

[@Ronlawhouston]

Tonal languages are very difficult. My ex is Vietnamese and I've tried to speak some but I really suck.

[@MattandJulia]

Oooh, we heard about the amount of tones in Vietnamese, to be fair that is scarily difficult 😫❤️

[@cogniktive1147]

I love how much the Chinese people love traveling domestically and engrossing themselves in their crazy long storied history

[@ZeroFate643]

Would love to hear you blog a bit in Chinese too. Then you can practice speaking conversationally and we can see your progress over the month.

[@deanzaZZR]

With only a month in the language school I do hope they prioritize useful spoken Mandarin over learning more than just a few basic Chinese characters. That can come later if you get more serious.

[@LTLChinese]

Absolutely, this is all about communication. But characters still play a massive part in the language, so we won't be skipping over that. The main goal is speaking though 🗣

[@Mr_Absolutely_25]

Please visit India. Love from India😊😊❤

[@maryr8364]

Matt, how long did it take for you to learn Russian?

[@BooLion-l6m]

Sure liked your video, I"ll subscribe to your channel. What textbook do you using in class?

[@Wonder123-fy2jf]

Pinyin could help but finding the right tone for the chinese character could be difficult if not impossible. As you may know now, in Chinese, you change the tone, you change the character and meaning. Since you're learning Chinese, may be you should say more "再见" instead of "bye-bye"? "Bye" is English. Though it's common knowledge or even universal now, some non-English speakers don't know what "bye-bye" means. Rare but they exist.

[@cindybrodie9769]

Matt, a reference to The Office?

[@금양haij4168]

❤❤

[@althejazzman]

The random Mandarin comments in this thread shows just how hard you're trying to integrate. It looks so hard to learn a completely different language and writing method at once.

[@hk-snowman]

hi I am in beijing

[@carycoombe3380]

Durian PIZZA?!?! I like Durian, but I don't know about pizza (I usually have it in a milkshake). I heard you are not allowed to have it on public transport or take it into hotels (in some places) because of the odor it gives off.

[@WorldPeaceLover520]

hi Matt and Julia, good day to you. Here's a good little "assignment" for you: you can ask your language teacher what do the eighteen words at the entrance of forbidden city mean. 中华人民共和国万岁，世界人民大团结万岁。

[@terryschima4964]

Your ears have to tune to Mandarin. Since y’all were in country for a few weeks before classes, it should help.

[@PS-383]

Does the course the both of u are taking with LTL Mandarin School include sitting for the HSK? If yes, will that be HSK Level 1?

[@LTLChinese]

No HSK, just seeing how far we can get them after a month 💪plenty of our students do prep for the HSK though.

[@chew5461-l7f]

Your brains must hurt, going back to school after so many years! 加油 !!

[@howardcheung5809]

not every Chinese person likes durian. My dad would not go anywhere near it but my mum is the opposite...consider it as marmite😂😂

[@lautony391]

On Chinese video platforms, we often see many bloggers reposting videos of foreigners traveling in China. Most of the video bloggers praise and brag about everything about this country. I came to KZbin and found that you travel all over the world, and the travel experience in many countries is not worse than that in China. So I am very curious why you stayed in China for such a long time after arriving? Even started learning Chinese. Do you just like this country? Or is it like some people say that you can get good rewards for promoting China, or there are many Chinese people on KZbin who watch and subscribe to your videos over the firewall, so you can get more income?

[@lautony391]

In China, you can often see comments saying: "These foreign tourists promote China because they can get a lot of publicity fees from the Chinese government, which has become a way for many travel bloggers to make money. So they will never say anything bad about China." So I want to confirm with you whether this is really the case?

[@AkashicDream]

你们可以通过给视频加中文字幕开始🥰

[@MattandJulia]

We will 🥰

[@sandrablack7999]

I was actually in Beijing for two weeks in October so I’m enjoying reminiscing with you. My grandaughter is studying Mandarin at Peking University.

[@xiaodisun-lf5ym]

建议你学习中文，不要找会英文的老师，宁可和老师交流都用翻译软件，这样你的中文会得到最快和最好的提升。语言只是一种工具，最好是还能教你中国文化的，这样会更好了理解中文。

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you for your advice 谢谢 ❤️

[@rostamado]

1990年に北京に行った当時はふらりと行って入れたが、無茶苦茶広くて疲れた。全部見れなかった

[@dennischai4831]

Chinese is not easy. You can learn how to speak and be good at it but the written part is another thing. Its not a combination of 26 letters but characters with different strokes

[@michaelde6711]

Hope you enjoy live in China, 祝福你们在中国生活的愉快。

[@minchen5187]

Honestly, YT has not been pushing your algorithm, typical of YT CENSORSHIP.

[@WordUp2That]

" Wake up! "

[@puweiting]

❤😂🎉❤😂🎉

[@ChakwingTsui]

Go to Ha er bin 哈尔滨

[@etow8034]

It would take you 25 years to live in every one of those rooms if you stay in one different room every single day !

[@GouganeBarra-u4t]

Wow, a city with 22 million people. That's like living in the biggest ants nest in the world. All the people must drink and eat... and go their way about the city... each with their seperate plans and agenda. Dublin in Ireland is a bit too big for me. Cork is fine. I just can't imagine what living in a megacity must be like. Best of luck in learning Chinese !

[@MattandJulia]

Thank you so much, really appreciate it ❤️🥰

[@stephenschuit7880]

Please stay real and objective. Just this weekend the Communist Chinese Government sentenced 54-Hong Kong Pro-Democracy advocates to long-term prison sentences. Remember when HK was "free" and the Communist Chinese were taking it over and saying it would stay open? Well, that was BS. We are always tantalized by the glorious Chinese culture--but the Government is right out of 1984. Please don't forget that as you study the language and get mesmerized by the culture.