Eli Clemens
Gallatin China Summer Fellow 2016
China
As of today I have been in China for over a month. Besides traveling to Xi’an for three days, I have stayed put in Shanghai. Because I will also be studying away here next semester, I have not felt much pressure to travel to other parts of China until I have a good sense of Shanghai.
Much of my time has been filled with Chinese class. Being immersed in a predominantly Mandarin-speaking environment, my idea of what true proficiency in conversational Mandarin will actually take has changed. This is partly due to the fact that Shanghainese speak with a strong accent – if not an entirely different-from-Mandarin dialect – and few locals speak more than basic English.
As a result I have been more motivated to review old characters, learn new words, watch Chinese TV shows, and most importantly, attempt to speak Mandarin with cab drivers, waiters, or anyone else I happen to start a conversation with. Having a long, complex conversation without having to constantly think what to say next seems a long way off, but I am much better than I was a month ago, and every new day I spend in China means that – theoretically! – I should be improving.
In my free time, I have mostly been exploring Shanghai. The first week I bought a bike and so I have been biking around and taking pictures pretty often. I have also been going on a lot of school trips to various sites and museums in Shanghai. Here are some pictures I’ve taken so far:
