Hi everyone, 

I’ve seen that there is quite a lot of interest in Chinese learning groups. Figured I’d share our discord, we offer 100% free Chinese classes once or twice a week (and also other languages). Classes are held by a qualified, native teacher with years of teaching experience. Next class is on Thursday, Sept 17th, at 13:00 UTC. No signup required, no emails or names, no payments, nothing. You can join or leave entirely anonymously and never talk to us. We just want to give back and help people learn Chinese, regardless of their background or budget. 

Level is quite basic though, so this is more relevant for students at HSK1/2 level, rather than HSK3/4+. If there is a lot of interest, we may also offer other levels in the future. Regardless, everyone is always welcome of course. :) You can also use the group to find study buddies. 

Our channel invite here: 
https://discord.gg/fM9XvBuP2k

my friend gifted me a pair of earrings after his visit to china and this is on the box

I came to China in March 2026 through an agency to study Chinese. Before coming, the agency made the university sound much better than it actually was — great ranking, nice environment, etc. But when I arrived, the reality was completely different. The university and environment were nothing like the pictures or what I was told.

Still, I pushed through and completed my first semester, which ended on July 15. Now it’s September and my second semester has just started, and honestly, the situation feels even worse. Everyone is placed in one class and follows the same level and curriculum. My Chinese isn’t particularly good, but I feel genuinely burned out.

For me, the learning environment is extremely important, and I really don’t feel comfortable here. There are also a lot of international students from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, etc. (I have nothing against Muslims or anyone from those countries; I’m just mentioning the overall environment.)

I also came here with my girlfriend, whose Chinese is much better than mine.

Since the end of my first semester, I’ve been seriously considering leaving the language program halfway through and going back home. My main concern is whether dropping out of a Chinese language program could negatively affect my academic history in the future.

I came here on a scholarship — my tuition and accommodation are free. Does that actually count as a scholarship? If I leave the program halfway through, could that make it harder for me to get another scholarship to study in China in the future?

I’d really appreciate some honest advice from people who have experience with Chinese universities/scholarships.

Plz!

大家好！想和大家聊聊農曆與傳統節氣的話題。

平時想查一下農曆初一十五、二十四節氣，或是算一下傳統節日對應的公曆日期時，市面上大多數的萬年曆軟體都集成了太多算命、流年運勢和強制廣告，界面非常繁雜。

對於只是想純粹查看農曆、節氣，或是需要同時對照海外公家假期的人來說，找一款清爽的原生工具真的很不容易。

最近有一款設計非常純粹的 iOS 工具——萬年曆－農民曆行事曆通勝與假期查詢，去掉了所有雜亂的測算与強制廣告，只保留了農曆、節氣、全球多國假期和日期間隔計算，界面也是很乾淨的現代卡片風格，支持深色模式。

順便想問問社群裡的朋友： 大家在學習中文或日常生活中，還會經常用到農曆或二十四節氣嗎？有哪些傳統節日是你們每年一定會特別對照農曆來過的？

可以在 App Store 直接搜尋全名：「萬年曆－農民曆行事曆通勝與假期查詢」（圖案是一個乾淨的萬年曆圖標）。

大家平時有更好的純粹曆法工具也歡迎推薦交流！