The special courses offered through the ICES program focus on Chinese language and culture. Location Shanghai has a population of 13 million people and is one of China's largest cities, as well as one of China's three municipalities. Shanghai is a flourishing city with rich cultural resources and is an important place to witness the contemporary and changing life of Chinese people. Shanghai is China's largest industrial city as well as the financial, informational, and cultural center of the country. Shanghai is also an important port city, and has the second largest airport in China with over 40 international and domestic air lines.
Shanghai has a subtropical maritime climate, four distinct seasons and moderate rainfall.
It is warm and rainy in spring, hot and humid during the summer, cool and less rainy in autumn, and cold and dry in winter. This course concentrates on study fo Chinese pinyin, basic sentence patterns and Chinese characters, in order to help acquire a knowledge of Chinese pinyin, basic grammar, and to master the skill of writing Chinese characters, short essays, and to read Chinese. This course focuses on the Chinese pinyin, simple daily conversation to help students improve skills in speaking and listening. Students consolidate the grammar and vocabulary from the first 3 textbooks, building up vocabulary, discriminate the meaning and usage of words and expressions, continue to study sentence patterns and grammar, and intensify the training in Chinese reading. Intensive training of students in reading, expanding scope of readings, speed, increase vocabulary.