That's a good question. Beijing and Shanghai are the two largest cities in China and also the two most well-known places to learn Chinese in China. While Beijing is definitely still in development, it is also rapidly becoming an economic powerhouse for companies wishing to do business in China. Culturally, Beijing is considered the center of Chinese culture. Historically, Shanghai has been the center for doing business in China. Shanghai is also considered more modern and more westernized. For these reasons many people mistakenly believe Shanghai is a good place to learn Chinese in China.
In terms of Mandarin Chinese language learning. Beijing is the optimal place to study Chinese in China. This is because the Beijing accent is considered the most standard, the people in Beijing primarily speak Mandarin Chinese, and it is not yet a westernized city (plenty of room for interaction with locals). This gives the student studying abroad in China ample opportunity and a good environment in which to practice his or her spoken Mandarin Chinese language during his study abroad in China.
Learning Chinese in Shanghai has several distinct disadvantages:
- Because Shanghai is more westernized there is a larger number of Western companies doing business therefore minimizing the need to speak Chinese.
- Shanghainese speak the Shanghai dialect as opposed to speaking Mandarin Chinese (Putonghua).
- People in Shanghai are able to speak Mandarin Chinese although they are often reluctant to do so, preferring to speak in the local Shanghai dialect.
- When they do speak Mandarin Chinese, it is with an accent.
Because of these factors the student who is studying abroad in China will not have ample opportunities to practice his or her spoken Chinese. Therefore, Shanghai is not best city in which to study Chinese in China.
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