Corina Smith is a doctoral researcher at Oxford University studying the ancient Chinese texts, the Shangshu. She shares stories of learning Mandarin and living in Beijing and discusses the benefits of these experiences. We also touch on music as Corina grew up listening to prog rock and appreciates the history of its emergence in Britain in the 1970s. Corina is a Clarendon Scholar with the China Centre at Oxford University and a member of Pembroke College.
The audio of this episode has been archived
More information on the actual process of language learning, problems with individual aspects of Mandarin learning, specifically regarding grammar, vocabulary, phraseolog and more importantly acquiring a near-native feel for the language would have been welcomed. The part on cultural differences is unnecessary. I do not see its point