On Friday 6th March, LEH Mandarin pupils had the wonderful opportunity of watching a play fully in Mandarin. Year 9 pupil, Khadija gives us an update of the event below:
“This was the first time ever an Onatti Production play has been performed fully in Mandarin, and we were the first group to watch it! Although at first, watching a play fully in Mandarin seemed like an intimidating challenge, the other girls and I found it immensely interesting. Due to the slow pace at which the actors were talking in and their expressive hand gestures which hinted at the message they were trying to deliver to the audience, we were able to easily comprehend the plot. The funny punch lines and humorous storyline had everyone in the audience laughing and overall, we all enjoyed having an amazing time watching, picking up small phrases, and developing our listening abilities.”
China is one of the world’s oldest and richest continuous cultures, over 5,000 years old; it is also the second most populous nation in the world, with 1.42 billion people.
Mandarin Chinese is the mother tongue of over 900 million people, making it the most widely spoken first language in the world, and China is the second largest economy in
the world. There has never been a time when learning this fascinating language has been more relevant. Mandarin is offered to LEH pupils from Year 9. The course is aimed at complete beginners where students will acquire skills in reading, writing and speaking Chinese. Through inspiring lessons, students will build up their knowledge and confidence and can choose to take Mandarin as a GCSE from Year 10. Along with learning the language , the course also delves into China’s long and fascinating history as well as looking to the the future.