Learn Chinese For Free

If you're interested (or already) learning the Chinese language, you might want to learn Chinese for free. But the fact is, that idea may not be the beneficial for you at all.

First of all, the problem with materials that let you learn Chinese for free is that most of them lack multimedia-based training. That would not be too much of a problem if you're learning something such as computer language programming, but when it is a big problem when we talkk about learning Chinese or learning Mandarin. You would be missing out an important part of your education if you don't hear the Chinese language spoken or witness native Chinese interact among themselves.

And there is another big issue. Let me ask you this if you want to learn Chinese for free... How good is free stuff, usually? Well, it's rarely good. There are many reasons why a Chinese language course is offered for free and those include someone who is generous and is giving away a highly valuable course for free. However, more often than not, a Chinese lesson that's handed away for free is not match for the paid ones, which is why Chinese courses that promise to let you learn Chinese for free are usually not the best materials, in the first place.

And most likely, you wouldn't receive the "whole package" if you were chasing after what would let you learn Chinese for free, because learning Chinese takes tons of effort and commitment, and the entire learning will definitely demand some form of investment.

With that being said, it is actually a neat idea to obtain some resources to learn Chinese for free when you're just beginning to learn the language so that you see a bigger picture of you learning Chinese, but I have yet to encounter someone who did learn Chinese from scratch until she achieves a reasonable proficiency level, all relying on free resources to learn Chinese.

The truth is, if you're committed to learning Chinese or learning Mandarin, you should take a serious Chinese language course and seek out some really good Chinese learning programs.

So next time when you feel like hunting for resources to learn Chinese for free, recall what you just read.

International rescue - China looks after its interests abroad

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) dispatched three naval vessels to support international counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden in December 2008. This muscular effort is the clearest sign so far that Beijing is growing in its willingness and capacity to deploy military assets overseas to protect Chinese citizens and commercial interests.
This trend is likely to continue. Given China's need for natural resources to fuel its economic growth and the penetration of more stable markets by Western European and United States businesses, Chinese firms have begun operating in some of the least stable, resource-rich areas in the world, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. In these areas they have increasingly encountered physical security problems including crime, terrorism and the risk of being drawn into internal conflicts, which has increased domestic and commercial pressure on Beijing to protect its operations and personnel.
The probability of increasing Chinese deployments overseas and a growing willingness by Beijing to undertake civilian or military missions to protect its interests will concern competitors and potential rivals in Northeast Asia and beyond.
Image: A ceremony is held before a Chinese naval fleet sets sail from a port in Sanya city on Hainan Island in the South China Sea on 26 December. The deployment of People's Liberation Army Navy ships for anti-piracy duty off Somalia is indicative of China's increasing willingness and capability to protect its assets and nationals abroad.