City/location
Located in the southern coastal area of Guangdong province, 160
kilometres away from Guangzhou, 35 kilometres from Honking and Jiulong; Dapeng
Gulf to the east, the influx of the Pearl River west, Hong Kong south, Dongguan
and Huizhou cities north
Neighbouring Areas: Hunan,
Jiangxi, Fujian, and Hainan provinces; Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hong
Kong and Macao
Physical
Features:
Facing the sea and surrounded by mountains; mainly covered by hills with plains
in its western area.
Population:
~
5 million
Shenzhen
is a
new city
in
China
. Located next door to
Hong Kong
it has, overnight, become the economic miracle of
China
's Opening Up policy. The last 20 years have seen an enormous influx of
both capital and people, both from within
China
and abroad. This collision of different forces and rapid pace of change has
created one of the most cosmopolitan and energetic cities in
China
. The average person in Shenzhen is only 26 years old. People here are always
looking for the newest and most exciting things; they work hard and play harder.
This city is vibrant and dynamic, a place where deals are made, and the
future is shaped. Come join us and create your own future.
Many Chinese
language schools based in the north of
China
, particularly around
Beijing
, claim that their locations are the best for learning Chinese because their
local dialect is closest to the official Mandarin. It is true that the dialect
is closest. However there are several unique factors about Shenzhen that we at EMW
CULTURAL IMMERSIONS believe make Shenzhen truly a better place for the study of
Chinese.
Firstly,
migrants are coming to Shenzhen from all over
China
. This means that Shenzhen is mainly a Mandarin speaking city, unlike the rest
of
Guangdong
. This gives you well rounded exposure to the many different accents and
dialects of Mandarin that you will hear in
China
. Secondly, many of these immigrants come from the North so you are still
frequently exposed to "correct" Mandarin, especially in the classroom
where our teachers are all northern and/or have passed Mandarin standards set by
the government. Secondly, being in
Guangdong
, Shenzhen offers an unparalleled opportunity to learn Cantonese. Here again all
of our Cantonese teachers are local to the area and are native speakers of
Cantonese.