Mandarin Star (Or How To Get on Chinese TV)

Do you still remember when you first picked out your Chinese name? Did you want something special? Something that sounds like your real name? Or did you simply copy the name of your favorite kung fu star?

Further along in the language study process, do you remember sitting there, annoyed, as that kid with the really good pronunciation and ridiculous vocabulary showed off in front of the class? Well, Mandarin Star might bring those memories back.

Mandarin Star is a yearly competition among international university students in Beijing. Students from all over the world compete to show off their talents, understanding of Chinese culture and, of course, Mandarin skills. We chatted with competitors representing five different countries, and here’s what they had to say about their surrogate city:

1. What scared you when you first came to Beijing?

Korea: "The environment."
Vietnam: "Horror films. In my country, they're not very scary."
Myanmar: "The amount of people on the subway. I was pushed on and off the train without even walking on my feet."
Ukraine: "Split pants. I was shocked."
US: "How hard it was to learn Mandarin."

2. What surprised you, in a good way?

Korea: "Spring Festival. It’s extremely exciting."
Vietnam: "Teachers are really nice to me."
Myanmar: "Snow."
Ukraine: "Beautiful scenery. I’ve traveled a lot but Chinese scenery still surprises me."
US: "Chinese people. They work hard and are very enthusiastic."

3. What do you like to eat in Beijing, besides duck and noodles?

Korea: "Hot pot and chuan'r."
Vietnam: "Dumplings."
Myanmar: "Jianbing."
Ukraine: "Lao Beijing Yogurt."
US: "Tomato and egg."

4. If you could change one thing in Beijing, what would it be?

Korea: "Traffic."
Vietnam: "Traffic."
Myanmar: "Make people follow the rules when crossing intersections."
Ukraine: "Traffic jams."
US: "Traffic jams."

5. Do you think this competition will help you get a job in China?

Korea: "I think so."
Vietnam: "I feel confident entering a contest like this."
Myanmar: "Maybe."
Ukraine: "Hopefully."
US: "I'll leave that in the hands of God."

Well, if there's one thing we've learned from this, it's that we do have a traffic problem. And if we all want to be Mandarin stars, we might want to fortify our diets with hot pot, chuan'r, dumplings and jianbing.

Maybe this competition isn't the key to your dream job, but being able to perform in front of the camera as well as do public speaking in a second or third language will definitely impress many of the right people. It's a lot of work and those who put in the effort know that the glory comes at a price. Other prizes are afoot, though (iPads, chances to work in media, etc.), so if that piques your interest, check out the Mandarin Star website.

Photos: China University of Petroleum