World Learner Chinese Newsletter – March 9, 2009
Ni Hao everyone!
Hope you are moving along well in your Chinese studies. Here is just a quick update to what is happening here at WLC.
Menu Changes:
We have done some changes to our menu format to help make getting around the site faster and easier. I hope that members find their way to content less confusing.
Media Links:
We are looking into how much the Media Links (radio and television) are being used. We are looking into possibly removing these links to save space. These media links are being used by only a small number of members. Please leave your comments concerning this issue in the media forumAn on or off line gathering of people to share thoughts or opinions. This may take the form of a group gathering at a physical location or online message board. section.
Chat Room:
Many users of the Chat Room are missing each other by just a few minutes. Members can post their online times in the Chat Room and Live Events section of the forums. Also, I will be online in the Chat Room from 14:00 GMT to 15:00 GMT (or 22:00 to 23:00 Taiwan"Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the area under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China (ROC) government, not to be confused with the People's Republic of China government. Following World War II, the ROC gained control of Taiwan from the Japanese in 1945, but lost control of mainland China to the Chinese Communist Party four years later in 1949 as a result of the Chinese Civil War. The Kuomintang (KMT) government then retreated to the island and moved the capital to Taipei. While the People's Republic of China (PRC) claims Taiwan as its province, the PRC has never controlled Taiwan. The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa (from Portuguese (Ilha) Formosa, meaning "beautiful (island)"), is located in East Asia off the coast of China, southwest of the main islands of Japan but directly west of the end of Japan's Ryukyu Islands, and north-northwest of the Philippines. It is bound to the east by the Pacific Ocean, to the south by the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait, to the west by the Taiwan Strait and to the north by the East China Sea. The island is 394 kilometers (245 miles) long and 144 kilometers (89 miles) wide and consists of steep mountains covered by tropical and subtropical vegetation. Though for decades following the Chinese Civil War, the ROC was politically a single-party authoritarian state, the ROC has since evolved into a democracy in Asia. Its rapid economic growth in the decades after World War II and the government's relocation to Taiwan has brought it to an advanced economy status as one of the Four Asian Tigers. This economic rise is known as the Taiwan Miracle. It is categorized as an advanced economy by the IMF and high-income economy by the world bank. Its technology industry plays a key role in the global economy. Taiwanese companies manufacture a giant portion of the world's consumer electronics. time) on Thursday March 12th. I hope everyone can join in and share thoughts on learning Chinese or language learning in general.
Forum Usage:
Forum usage is still at a low. This may be because no one wants to be the first to leave a message. Don’t be shy. Please drop into The Lobby forum and say Ni Hao. Members are always welcomed to post comments concerning Mandarin Chinese. Our course director, Page Lin, will try to answer as many questions as possible about learning Chinese. In our last newsletter I said I will also post my comments concerning the learning acquisition of a target language like Chinese. I hope to post my comments this weekend.
Audiocasts:
The posting of Public Content should be caught up with other areas in a few days. All SubscriptionA membership model where free or paid access is given for a product or service. Content has been moved to the new platform. We just recorded new audiocasts that will be posted soon (Page is picky about how we record…haaa).
Site Access:
Soon parts of the site will opened to non-registered users. These non-registered users will not be able to directly access audiocasts, but will be able to view forum content.
We at WLC will continue trying to present Mandarin Chinese programming that is to the point with less talk and more content. If you have any questions, please drop by the site and post a note.
Heads up to the following members:
candice23 – Thanks you for your support.
cheungtk - Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.
Maria-Antoaneta - When I’m back in Romania I will look you up.
Mahaediu – I hope to meet you in the Chat Room.
wlthaya – Thanks for not giving up on us.
fd128 – Thank you for long term support.
Kamona4ever – I just missed you in the Chat Room by one minute!
For now 再見!
James
