Mandarin Corner
Mandarin Corner is a relaxed monthly conversational meet up with native Chinese speakers for anyone interested in learning Chinese.
Mandarin Corner (Wellington), established in 1995, enables students learning Chinese to meet with native speakers of Chinese for conversation and cultural activities in a friendly, relaxed setting.
Mandarin On Air is our online version of Mandarin Corner, where you can tune in online or listen to podcast recordings of language and culture programs with our local Mandarin Language Assistants.
Mandarin Corner
Join us for Mandarin Corner on Saturdays, starting at 3.30pm. Drop in and practice your Chinese, expand your vocabulary, and meet other Chinese learners and speakers.
We will explore a different topic each session. The venue is room G24 Rutherford House, Pipitea Campus, except for the 14 June session which will be held at room 205 Rutherford House, Pipitea Campus.
All sessions are held at the Rutherford House, Victoria University of Wellington, Pipitea Campus.
2025 Schedule
| Date | Venue | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 25 January | RHG24 | The Year of the Snake |
| 22 February | RHG24 | Lantern Festival Customs & Lantern Making |
| 15 March | RHG24 | The Language of Flowers in Chinese |
| 5 April | RHG24 | The Origin of Chinese Characters |
| 17 May | RHG24 | Do You Know About Chinese Live-Stream Shopping? |
| 14 June | RH205 | Let's Try "Special Forces" Style Tourism |
| 5 July | RH103 | The enchanting design of “中国剪纸” - Chinese Paper Cutting |
| 9 August | RHG24 | Discover the Magic of Traditional Chinese Architecture |
| 20 September | RHG1209 | Discover the World of Chinese Milk Tea! Sip, Savor, and Explore a Cultural Icon! |
| 11 October | RHG24 | Splendor of Silk: A Celebration of Chinese Traditional Attire |
| 8 November | RHG1209 | Discover Chinese Food Culture |
| 13 December | RHG24 | Explore Chinese Traditional Festivals |
So we can manage access please let confucius-institute@vuw.ac.nz know you are planning to come. All welcome!
Mandarin On Air
Join our Mandarin Language Assistants as they provide an online Mandarin Corner. The programme provides insights into Chinese language and culture for different levels of Chinese learners. Each episode focuses on one topic and bring a different way of learning Chinese.
Listen online or tune into Access Radio 106.1FM every second Sunday at 11:00am.
Episodes
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
| 23 March & 6 April | Modern Chinese slang terms and phrases |
| 20 April & 4 May | Recommendations and tips for travelling in China |
| 18 May & 1 June | “Good food, good life” , Exploring Chinese food |
| 15 & 29 June | Is being carefree a myth or something we can achieve? Exploring Laozi and Zhuangzi’s ideas about following the flow of Nature |
| 13 & 27 July | Why drinking warm water so important in China? Traditional Chinese Medicine |
| 10 & 24 August | The world in the eyes of ancient Chinese people. Chinese myth and stories |
| 7 & 21 September | Chinese music and instruments |
| 5 October | Chat with Sam: A Chinese learning journey We're excited to host Sam, a VUW student passionate about learning Chinese. He took part in the "Chinese Bridge" competition and visited China for exchange in July. Don't miss his inspiring stories! |
| 2 November | Mandarin in use: Ordering food in Chinese restaurant |
| 30 November | Mandarin in use: hobbies and holiday plan |