No, EF is not joking, it's just terrible journalism on thebeijinger's part as usual, though they are by far not the only one to be fair...
"Breaking news: EF English test takers in Beijing have slightly higher score than EF English test takers in Hong Kong" just doesn't sound good enough.
The truth is, people who can speak English in Hong Kong have no reason to take the test, and neither does your average Beijing peasant. In short, it doesn't measure the English abilities of the respective citizens in the slightest. Test takers have a reason to do so, not just for giggles. They may plan to study overseas, need a certificate for their MNC job application or whatever.
And the EF results don't differentiate where the test takers are from, simply where they took the test. It's no secret that many mainlanders travel to HK to take the tests there, because of the ..ahem.. difficulties of acceptance tests done in the mainland have.
In short, like anyone who has ever travelled to both HK and Beijing can tell you: complete BS.
For now the policy seems to be aimed solely at tourist visas for Chinese going to the US and Americans visiting China - we'll see if it leads to any changes in Z visas in general, but I'm not holding my breath.
@The Equalizer: your summation of the expat scene is a bit outdated, or at a very minimum, still relevant but far less widespread they you purport. I know mountains and mountains of foreigners that don't live the life you seem to suggest an overwhelming of we expats are living. There is a great flattening of the differences that used to exist between foreign nations and China. China has been open to the outside for decades now; they're leading or exceeding in several categories. Companies are finding they're not having to work as hard by offering all of the things you mentioned in order to send foreigners here; Chinese companies are not having to work as much to provide all those benefits to attract. Yes, such "packages" still exist, but are found far less common than in years past. Also, to suggest that expats are working "crazy hours" and on a plane all the time conducting major business and generally too busy to learn Mandarin is way off base. If what you said was true, you wouldn't see mountains of laowai enjoying happy hour, filling up bars until wee hours of the morn and spending so much time socializing (i.e., activities which they have time to devote to and choose to spend doing that, instead of, oh, say, learning Mandarin). Yes, there are some who do truly live a life committed to the firm that sent/brought them here, but there are oodles and oodles for which that is not the case. There are several older foreigners (non-diplomats) who have even brought their entire family here, whereas in the past one of the spouses may have done a short-term assignment and a lot of back and forth because one of the spouses thought it wasn't conducive to their livelihood.
Not surprising news for anyone who's lived here for a decent period of time and traveled a bit. Yes, other than public transit which is highly subsidized, 1 yuan doesn't buy you much in Beijing and increasingly in other parts of the country. And compared to hourly wage and typical salaries in Beijing, coupled with high CoL, the financial strains can be quite tough to carry. Yet it doesn't appear any correction is in immediate sight.
The article wasn't the easiest to be read (mainly due to layout issues, repetitive issues, lack of chart/graph) but it's the type of stuff I'm glad to see TBJ is writing about. Cheers~
"Then again, maybe this can be chalked up to the high standard of English that many Chinese speak,particularly in the major metro areas, which allows expats to get by without Chinese skills." This is almost laughable. it has nothing to do with the high standard of English and my humble opinion is it is actually lacking in the English professional skill level compared to most other major capitol cities.
but don't you see that the reason you can survive without tons of chinese is precisely because there are so many Chinese that understand English?
Women are easy to be attacked because they are physically weaker than most guys. Some crazy cowards and losers only target easy meat. Always having the situation awareness will help women have enough time to react and run out of danger.
if you would like more examples of abhorrent public behavior, read this account of what the male security guard and male bus driver did when a drunk madman threatened a bus full of women with a knife
No one here has learned anything from this unfortunate event. It will be pushing and shoving as usual with little concern for the person next to you. Hell you see it everywhere, even in a coffee/cake shop when obviously you are waiting in line and someone walks through the door, acts like you are invisible and proceeds to go directly in fornt of you to place theri order. Most impolite people on this planet. Only if they want something are they polite and if you do not believe this you do not understand China.
"Then again, maybe this can be chalked up to the high standard of English that many Chinese speak,particularly in the major metro areas, which allows expats to get by without Chinese skills." This is almost laughable. it has nothing to do with the high standard of English and my humble opinion is it is actually lacking in the English professional skill level compared to most other major capitol cities.
Expats are busy doing their work with little time to study, not to mention no real set routine and have crazy hours. They can survive here because someone is arranging their travel, their hotels, always someone is at the airport to pick them up and drive them to the destination, translators for meetings, etc. It really does not help in any shape, form, or fashion to speak Chinese here as far as doing your work. Personal drivers who cart them around on the weekend and maids to take care of the daily matters, cooks for the meals, etc.
I personally can speak Chinese at a good enough level to understand (about 5000 words) and at least get my message across (not fluent for sure) and it does not help me do my work at all. My chinese language skill is a far cry from knowing the 25,000 wrods but it is enough to know even fluency would not help me do my work I am hitred to do in China. Of course, its nice to have a chat over coffee and has some advantages in the social circles but thats about it. When I leave here about the only good it will do is allow for an entertainng evening in Chinatown in the USA or something like that. It has kept my brain active or at least I would like to believe it and saved me money by staying at home and studying it sometimes but thats about it.
Expats are not sent here to learn the language but to get specific results for their firms. if the firm is clever, the firm provides all the tools for them to acocmplish this and one of those tools is a translator, which are a dime a dozen and not expensive at all.
Re: Beijing and Two Other Cities Outpace Hong Kong in English...
No, EF is not joking, it's just terrible journalism on thebeijinger's part as usual, though they are by far not the only one to be fair...
"Breaking news: EF English test takers in Beijing have slightly higher score than EF English test takers in Hong Kong" just doesn't sound good enough.
The truth is, people who can speak English in Hong Kong have no reason to take the test, and neither does your average Beijing peasant. In short, it doesn't measure the English abilities of the respective citizens in the slightest. Test takers have a reason to do so, not just for giggles. They may plan to study overseas, need a certificate for their MNC job application or whatever.
And the EF results don't differentiate where the test takers are from, simply where they took the test. It's no secret that many mainlanders travel to HK to take the tests there, because of the ..ahem.. difficulties of acceptance tests done in the mainland have.
In short, like anyone who has ever travelled to both HK and Beijing can tell you: complete BS.
Re: Beijing and Two Other Cities Outpace Hong Kong in English...
Are they joking?
Re: China, US Introduce New Ten-Year Visas For Business and...
For now the policy seems to be aimed solely at tourist visas for Chinese going to the US and Americans visiting China - we'll see if it leads to any changes in Z visas in general, but I'm not holding my breath.
Re: Beijingle Bells: The Big List of 2014 Holiday Bazaars
To keep up with all Christmas events in Beijing 2014, check our events page at:
http://www.thebeijinger.com/events/christmas
Re: China, US Introduce New Ten-Year Visas For Business and...
Ten year visa, is the for Chinese going to USA
or
All Foreginers from any country already living in Beijing ?
Charlie
Re: Get Stuffed: Shopping and Delivery Options for...
Dining out for Thanksgiving? Check our list of t-day dining out options here
Put a Bird on It: Thanksgiving 2014 Dining Out Options
Re: Put a Bird on It: Thanksgiving 2014 Dining Out Options
Dining in? Check our list of takeaway/cook-at-home options here
Get Stuffed: Shopping and Delivery Options for Thanksgiving at Home
Re: Expats in China: Three-Quarters Male and Illiterate
lols. This.
Re: Working Stiffs Stiffed: What Your Wages Will Buy in...
I imagine an average worker in Tokyo or NYC is significantly more productive during that 1/2 hour than the average worker in Beijing.
Re: Expats in China: Three-Quarters Male and Illiterate
@The Equalizer: your summation of the expat scene is a bit outdated, or at a very minimum, still relevant but far less widespread they you purport. I know mountains and mountains of foreigners that don't live the life you seem to suggest an overwhelming of we expats are living. There is a great flattening of the differences that used to exist between foreign nations and China. China has been open to the outside for decades now; they're leading or exceeding in several categories. Companies are finding they're not having to work as hard by offering all of the things you mentioned in order to send foreigners here; Chinese companies are not having to work as much to provide all those benefits to attract. Yes, such "packages" still exist, but are found far less common than in years past. Also, to suggest that expats are working "crazy hours" and on a plane all the time conducting major business and generally too busy to learn Mandarin is way off base. If what you said was true, you wouldn't see mountains of laowai enjoying happy hour, filling up bars until wee hours of the morn and spending so much time socializing (i.e., activities which they have time to devote to and choose to spend doing that, instead of, oh, say, learning Mandarin). Yes, there are some who do truly live a life committed to the firm that sent/brought them here, but there are oodles and oodles for which that is not the case. There are several older foreigners (non-diplomats) who have even brought their entire family here, whereas in the past one of the spouses may have done a short-term assignment and a lot of back and forth because one of the spouses thought it wasn't conducive to their livelihood.
Re: Working Stiffs Stiffed: What Your Wages Will Buy in...
Not surprising news for anyone who's lived here for a decent period of time and traveled a bit. Yes, other than public transit which is highly subsidized, 1 yuan doesn't buy you much in Beijing and increasingly in other parts of the country. And compared to hourly wage and typical salaries in Beijing, coupled with high CoL, the financial strains can be quite tough to carry. Yet it doesn't appear any correction is in immediate sight.
The article wasn't the easiest to be read (mainly due to layout issues, repetitive issues, lack of chart/graph) but it's the type of stuff I'm glad to see TBJ is writing about. Cheers~
Re: Put a Bird on It: Thanksgiving 2014 Dining Out Options
For an ever-evolving list of 2014 Thanksgiving festivities in Beijing, check out our events listings here:
http://www.thebeijinger.com/events/thanksgiving
Re: Expats in China: Three-Quarters Male and Illiterate
but don't you see that the reason you can survive without tons of chinese is precisely because there are so many Chinese that understand English?
Re: Expats in China: Three-Quarters Male and Illiterate
I want to tell you something , but dont know how to tell you
Re: Let's Do Lunch: Chilled Avocado Salsa with Kiwi-Style...
Thanks for pointing that out - we've corrected the mistake - our apologies to John and his fellow Kiwis for the oversight!
Re: Let's Do Lunch: Chilled Avocado Salsa with Kiwi-Style...
I'm sure John will tell you Auckland is NOT the kiwi capital.
Re: 33-Year-Old Woman Crushed to Death on Subway Line 5 Last...
Women are easy to be attacked because they are physically weaker than most guys. Some crazy cowards and losers only target easy meat. Always having the situation awareness will help women have enough time to react and run out of danger.
Re: 33-Year-Old Woman Crushed to Death on Subway Line 5 Last...
if you would like more examples of abhorrent public behavior, read this account of what the male security guard and male bus driver did when a drunk madman threatened a bus full of women with a knife
Re: 33-Year-Old Woman Crushed to Death on Subway Line 5 Last...
No one here has learned anything from this unfortunate event. It will be pushing and shoving as usual with little concern for the person next to you. Hell you see it everywhere, even in a coffee/cake shop when obviously you are waiting in line and someone walks through the door, acts like you are invisible and proceeds to go directly in fornt of you to place theri order. Most impolite people on this planet. Only if they want something are they polite and if you do not believe this you do not understand China.
Re: Expats in China: Three-Quarters Male and Illiterate
"Then again, maybe this can be chalked up to the high standard of English that many Chinese speak, particularly in the major metro areas, which allows expats to get by without Chinese skills." This is almost laughable. it has nothing to do with the high standard of English and my humble opinion is it is actually lacking in the English professional skill level compared to most other major capitol cities.
Expats are busy doing their work with little time to study, not to mention no real set routine and have crazy hours. They can survive here because someone is arranging their travel, their hotels, always someone is at the airport to pick them up and drive them to the destination, translators for meetings, etc. It really does not help in any shape, form, or fashion to speak Chinese here as far as doing your work. Personal drivers who cart them around on the weekend and maids to take care of the daily matters, cooks for the meals, etc.
I personally can speak Chinese at a good enough level to understand (about 5000 words) and at least get my message across (not fluent for sure) and it does not help me do my work at all. My chinese language skill is a far cry from knowing the 25,000 wrods but it is enough to know even fluency would not help me do my work I am hitred to do in China. Of course, its nice to have a chat over coffee and has some advantages in the social circles but thats about it. When I leave here about the only good it will do is allow for an entertainng evening in Chinatown in the USA or something like that. It has kept my brain active or at least I would like to believe it and saved me money by staying at home and studying it sometimes but thats about it.
Expats are not sent here to learn the language but to get specific results for their firms. if the firm is clever, the firm provides all the tools for them to acocmplish this and one of those tools is a translator, which are a dime a dozen and not expensive at all.