Since 2008, the major of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages at Xi’an University has dispatched teachers and students to Thailand for overseas internships. The university has signed internship base cooperation agreements with Sripatum University, Chiang Mai Education Foundation and Lampang Arunothai School in Thailand.By 2020, a total of 24 batches consisting of over 300 teachers and students majoring in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages have been sent to universities, primary and secondary schools as well as kindergartens in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and surrounding areas of Thailand. They are engaged in Chinese language and culture teaching, deliver Chinese courses and organize diverse Chinese cultural experience activities, benefiting tens of thousands of local Thai students.
Starting from2017, the School of Literature has undertaken the Belt and Road Initiative Thai Chinese Language Exchange and Training Base Project sponsored by Xi’an Municipal Education Bureau. By dispatching teachers and students overseas, it has further deepened educational cooperation with BRI participating countries. In 2024, the Belt and Road College co-founded by Xi’an University and Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University was officially unveiled, ushering bilateral cooperation into a brand-new development phase.Centering on two major cities in Thailand, the university actively expands new exchange and cooperation platforms. It plans to establish a Chinese language education and training base at Sripatum University in Bangkok in cooperation with Lampang Education Foundation. The project has been implemented smoothly and serves as an important channel for spreading Chinese language and culture, promoting Xi’an’s image and strengthening exchanges between China and Thailand.
One-Year Chinese Advanced Study Program
The One-Year Chinese Advanced Study Program of Xi’an University enrolls international students passionate about the Chinese language.Upon admission, international students will study Chinese full-time at the School of Literature as general visiting advanced students.Teaching will be tailored to students’different Chinese proficiency levels.Courses are categorized into elementary, intermediate and advanced levels with small-class teaching.The program totals 40 credits, with 16 class hours equal to one credit, amounting to 640 class hours in total. Compulsory courses take up 576 class hours, and elective courses account for 64 class hours. Elective courses are carried out in the form of special lectures and practical activities.Customized courses can also be arranged through bilateral negotiation.Students who successfully finish all courses will be issued a Certificate of Completion.
CompulsoryCourses
Comprehensive Chinese 96classhours
OralChinese 64classhours
Chinese Listening 64classhours
Chinese Characters and Reading 64classhours
ElectiveCourses
HSK Calligraphy 64classhours
Tai ChiChuan 64classhours
Special TopicsonChineseCultural 64classhours
Chinese Folk Culture Experience 64classhours
Special TopicsonChineseHistoryand Society 64classhours
4-Week Intensive Chinese Program
This 4-Week Intensive Chinese Program enrolls global participants eager to immerse themselves in authentic Chinese culture. It is designed to prioritize the improvement of learners’Chinese listening and speaking abilities. Through short-term centralized intensive training, participants are enabled to conduct basic daily communication in Chinese. Field trips and themed lectures also help spark their interest in traditional Chinese culture.
Table1 .Intensive Chinese Course Schedule
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
Morning | Integrated Chinese Language & Culture Course | Integrated Chinese Language & Culture Course | Integrated Chinese Language & Culture Course | Integrated Chinese Language & Culture Course | Written Test | 1stweek： Visit BellandDrum Towers,Xi’anAncient City Wall 2ndweek: Visit Shaanxi History Museum ; Giant Wild Goose Pagoda； 3rdweek： Visit the Terracotta Army | Free Arrangement |
Oral Drilling Class | Oral Drilling Class | Oral Drilling Class | Oral Drilling Class | Oral Test | |||
Afternoon | ChineseCalligraphy | 1stweek:Chinese Dumpling Making 2ndweek: Peking OperaAppreciation 3rdweek: Chinese Cuisine Cooking 4th week: Mini Cultural Performance | Tai ChiChuan | Exchange Sessions with Chinese Students | 1stweek:Daily Shopping & Direction Practice 2ndweek: Visit Muslim Quarter 3rdweek: Home Visit with Local Chinese Families |
2-Week Young Sinologist Training Camp
Mandarin study
The camp provides diverse Chinese courses including Intensive Chinese Reading, Oral Chinese, Chinese Characters & Reading, Chinese Literature and HSK Training. All instructors boast rich experience in Chinese language teaching. Classes feature frequent interaction and a lively learning atmosphere. Within the two-week period, Thai participants can master standard pronunciation and grasp authentic daily expressions.
Cultural experience
It also offers cultural experience courses covering Tai Chi Chuan, Paper Cutting, Opera Facial Mask Painting, Chinese Knot Craft, Traditional Chinese Painting and Chinese Opera. Courses are delivered by professional artists of diverse disciplines. They lead participants to explore the charm of Chinese arts and gain immersive, in-depth artistic perception.
CulturalExcursions
The camp arranges abundant cultural excursions. Participants will tour Xi’an Ancient City Wall, Stele Forest, Muslim Quarter and Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, visit the world-renowned Terracotta Army. They will also travel to Baoji to discover the charm of Famen Temple, a sacred Buddhist site. These off-campus trips help participants appreciate the profound history and splendid culture of Xi’an.
Table 2. Course Schedule for the Young Sinologist Project
Time | Morning | Afternoon | Evening |
Day 1 | Airport Pick up, Hotel check in | Welcome Dinner | |
Day 2 | 1. Daily Oral Chinese 2. Lecture: Introduction to China’s Tourism Resources (I) | Visit Muslim Quarter and Bell and Drum Towers | Free Time |
Day 3 | Visit Ancient City Wall | Visit Shaanxi History Museum | Free Time |
Day 4 | 1. Daily Oral Chinese 2. Lecture: Introduction to China’s Tourism Resources (II) | Learning Chinese Kung Fu | Chinese Kung Fu Show |
Day 5 | Visit the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang | Visit Terracotta Army | Free Time |
Day 6 | 1. Daily Oral Chinese 2. Lecture: Appreciation of Chinese Calligraphy | CalligraphyPractice | Free Time |
Day 7 | Chinese Cuisine and Tea Culture Learning | Visit Traditional Teahouse | Free Time |
Day 8 | Visit Famen Temple | 1. Daily Oral Chinese 2. Lecture: Appreciation of Chinese Painting | Free Time |
Day 9 | Lecture:Art of Chinese Opera | Learn Chinese Songs | Free Time |
Day 10 | Daily Oral Chinese | Visit Great Mosque | Qinqiang Opera Show |
Day 11 | Lecture:Chinese Society and Economy | Visit Yangling Ecological Agricultural Park | Free Time |
Day 12 | Daily Oral Chinese | Exchange with Chinese Peers | DumplingMaking |
Day 13 | Free Time | Travel outside Shaanxi | |
Day 14 | Departure | ||