Living in Nanjing: Language & Culture
Nanjing offers an authentic China experience and an environment that will encourage students to practice their Chinese skills. Unlike Shanghai or Hong Kong, Nanjing residents speak the Mandarin dialect of Chinese taught in American schools.
Though modern and developed, Nanjing does not have the extensive foreign influence that Beijing and Shanghai have. Students in these cities frequently complain of not being able to escape the "English comfort bubble" and really improve their Chinese. Nanjing has been the educational center of southern China for more than 1700 years and remains a city that places a high importance on education. Currently, it boasts of some of the most prominent educational institutions in the region. There are many elite high schools and more than 30 universities serving more than 600,000 students. YISA faculty and staff in Nanjing will offer many short field trips in and around Nanjing as a method of bringing the learning outside the classroom and into the museums, historical sites, and real life businesses that will tell China’s stories.
Today, Nanjing is the one of China’s wealthiest and most economically developed cities with a modern subway system, excellent restaurants, and high-end department stores. Nanjing is a major tourist destination for Chinese as well as international travelers. Famous Nanjing sights include the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, The Ming Tombs, Xuanwu Lake, The Nanjing Massacre Memorial, Fuzi Miao Confucious temple, and the Purple Mountain Scenic Area.