Virtual Victorian Young Leaders to China Program 

Chinese language and culture immersion

The Victorian Young Leaders to China Program (VYLC) is a yearly opportunity for Victorian students to not only improve their Mandarin, but also immerse themselves in Chinese culture. While it is unfortunate that students couldn’t travel to Beijing this year due to covid, the online VYLC still didn’t fail in delivering Chinese language and culture. 

Each day of the two-week program would start at 9:00, with language classes going till 10:40. Then at 11:00, it would continue for another hour, before returning to their normal classes. However, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the last hour VYLC would introduce students to a part of Chinese culture.

Some might include group gymnastics (my favourite), the fascinating look at The Great Wall or the current state of Chinese pop Culture. Overall, I think the strongest part of the program was the cultural part. It showed a new aspect to things such as fitness, art, pop culture, architecture and many other things, and it was interesting to see the levels of knowledge and experience those other students had.

I also think the focus on getting the students used to Hanzi (Chinese characters) was good. Having them learn the actual used written language, instead of pinyin, will benefit them if they have to use it in a real-world scenario. Going beyond the language, I feel as a lot was taught during the cultural sections. Anything from the origin of China’s radio gymnastics to long and complicated history of the Great Wall, and why it was built.

Overall, I would highly recommend this to students who are either trying to improve on their Mandarin, or just trying to expand their knowledge of Chinese culture. I think the organisers, teachers, and all others behind the VYLC Program did a great job, and hope that it will continue long into to the future. 

~Harrison Long, Year 9